


London Calling

by BrunetteBookworm, WordsandChocolate



Series: London Calling [1]
Category: Blood Ties, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Ravenswood (TV), Real Person Fiction
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Alternate Universe - Vampire Slayer, Buffy the Vampire Slayer References, Demon Summoning, Demons, Elemental Magic, F/M, First Kiss, Multiple Crossovers, Parallel Universes, Romance, Saving the World, Swordfighting, Tentacles, Violence, takes some creative license with canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-12
Updated: 2014-09-30
Packaged: 2018-01-01 07:05:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 24
Words: 73,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1041848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrunetteBookworm/pseuds/BrunetteBookworm, https://archiveofourown.org/users/WordsandChocolate/pseuds/WordsandChocolate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A seer needs to thwart a demon summoning, and calls together an eclectic team to help her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just some brief notes about characters and canon. Buffy is post season 7 Buffy, from a parallel universe. In the main universe of the story, there is no Buffy TV show, and vampire lore is the Blood Ties version. Caleb Rivers is from the beginning of Ravenswood, after his friend has turned into a ghost. Then I take some creative license (no curse, has broken up with Hanna). Henry Fitzroy is the TV show version except for his bisexuality, which is from the books. He moved to London after the ending of Season 1. Ben and Tom are 20-something versions of themselves, with some history changed. 
> 
> The idea for this fic came out of a fun weekend I had with brunettebookworm. We had a lot of fun bouncing ideas off each other- this story wouldn't exist without her.
> 
> Ok I think that's everything. Enjoy!

** **

 

**Caleb**

The sky was painted with pink as the day drew to a close. It was raining. A soft drizzle, that dripped off Caleb's hair and trickled down the back of his neck. His old leather jacket didn't do much to keep it off. Wearily, Caleb tucked his hair behind his ears again, grateful that at least his backpack was water-proof. Hunching his shoulders, Caleb continued up the pavement, dodging people with umbrellas. He ducked under a shop roof, and pulled out a scrap of paper to check it again. Yes, he had the right street. London was a new experience for him, not having ever been out of the U.S. before. International travel was not a common experience for a foster kid.

“I can't believe how much has happened in a few years” thought Caleb, smiling wryly.

He had his first girlfriend, had been shot, and had discovered the world of ghosts and the supernatural. Having friends was also a new experience. Even though he and Hanna were no longer together, he always thought fondly of her. If it wasn't for her, he would have still been living on the streets. And he would have never experienced the feeling of having friends when there was no mutual benefit. Moving away to Ravenswood had been hard. It also had plunged him into the bizarre world of the supernatural. Having a ghost as a friend was certainly a new experience, as was living in a house with a clairvoyant. He had learned enough that when they told him he was needed in London, he didn't hesitate.

“Something evil is rising” Miranda told him fearfully, looking so solid and real Caleb had to remind himself that she was dead. “I don't know why, but you are needed there.”

Carla filled in a bit more detail. “A seer has been in contact with me” she said, her old blue eyes looking worried. “Here is an address you must go to.”

“But why? What use am I there?” Caleb asked. “Can't you tell me anything else?”

Carla shook her head. “All I know is that you are needed. If you don't go, the world will be doomed.”

One look at her unsettling eyes, and there was no room for any mocking on his part. Those spooky eyes gave him the creeps, even knowing she was on his side. Caleb had learnt the hard way that her predictions were never wrong. He still marvelled at her ability to give gravity and importance to lines that belonged in a B-grade movie. Carla organised a flight, and now here he was in London, getting rained on, and looking for an address.

“Number seven” he muttered, dark eyebrows drawn together in a frown.

He looked around and saw that he needed to go further up the street. Caleb continued up the street, gradually leaving the shops and the people behind. Shops turned into flats and old terraced town-houses, looking progressively more neglected as he walked on. He passed a scrubby park, filled with tired looking trees and straggly bushes. A swing set was there, the swings themselves vanished long ago. Rusty chains still hung where they had been. Next to the park was number seven. It was a tall building, three stories high, made of old faded stone. Ivy crept up the walls, like the park was trying to assimilate the building into itself. There appeared to be only one door. It was probably painted a bright blue colour once upon a time, but the paint was now faded, and peeling in places. A tarnished brass knocker was set into the wood. Gingerly, Caleb grasped it to knock, but as soon as he touched it, the door slowly swung open, revealing a drab, well-lit hallway. Creepy houses were not unknown to Caleb, since he currently lived in one back home. He walked inside, shutting the door behind him.

“Hello?” he called.

He could see another light further up the hallway and he moved towards it, his wet trainers leaving marks on the polished wood. There didn't appear to be any doors opening into the hallway, which Caleb thought was strange. As he reached the light he could see that the hallway was opening into a large room. He left the hallway and stepped into what appeared to be a library. Directly in front of him was an arrangement of couches and armchairs, and a girl was sitting in one, watching Caleb. She was blonde, her hair caught up into a careless plait. Wispy strands had fallen out and were touching her brown cheeks. She looked up at him and smiled, and Caleb realised that her pale blue eyes were just as unsettling as Carla's ones back home. She looked to be around 19, a similar age to Caleb, but her eyes looked older. He glanced around quickly as he moved towards her, his street instincts automatically checking for exits, and scoping out the room. Every wall he could see was covered with books, the shelves going up to the ceiling. He saw a ladder attached to the shelves on one of the walls. There were stairs to his left, spiralling up to another floor. The girl stood as he approached, holding out her hand in greeting.

“Welcome Caleb. I am Cassie” she said softly.

She was dressed simply in a blue tunic dress and stockings. Caleb dropped his backpack on the floor, and reached forward to shake.

“Hi. Um, are you the one who wanted me here?”

Cassie motioned to the armchair opposite her, and they both sat, Caleb hoping he wouldn't drip on it too much. He noticed that the air in here seemed warm and dry. His hair wasn't dripping quite as much now.

“Yes. I contacted your friends and bid them send you. Thankfully they pay the proper attention to visions.”

“Are you the seer?” Caleb asked.

Cassie nodded. “There are more of us, but I am the one tasked with this. We have been around a long time.” She gestured around. “This is our library. We collect and store what knowledge we can, and have been doing so for hundreds of years.”

“So why do you need me?” Caleb said. “My friend said something evil was stirring?”

Cassie nodded. “Yes. I am waiting for the others before I explain.”

“Others?”

Cassie waved at the stairs. “Why don't you go upstairs, get some dry clothes on. There's food and drink upstairs too, and spare bedrooms if you want to rest. The others will be arriving here at midnight, and I will explain everything then.”

Caleb sighed. He didn't imagine arguing would get him anywhere, so he firmly quashed his impatience, picked up his backpack, and headed upstairs. He could do with some coffee and dry clothes.

**Henry**

As the last ray of sunlight faded from the sky, Henry's eyes snapped open and he sat up in his large bed, pulling back the red satin covers. Running a hand through his long tousled curls, he padded naked over to his apartment window and stared out at the night. His penthouse apartment had a great view of London, though it was somewhat marred by the constant drizzling rain. He hadn't missed London's weather. It still felt strange, coming back to the London after a century away. His time in Canada had been very enjoyable, mostly due to a certain stubborn private investigator called Vicki. Enjoyable and frustrating, he reminded himself. Despite her undeniable attraction to him, in the end she had chosen Mike, the boring human policeman.

Henry, the immortal Duke of Richmond, was not used to being someone's second choice, and it had hurt. He arranged a move to London, wanting to be both far away from Vicki, and feeling a desire to reconnect with his old homeland. It had taken a while, but he was finally settling into a pleasant routine here. He especially enjoyed the theatre scene, and had formed some friendships with the theatre students that attended the local Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. No one whom he trusted with his secret yet, but he was enjoying following the careers of two particular students, Benedict and Thomas. Henry sensed that they would make quite an impact on the world when they graduated. For now, he was enjoying being their unofficial patron.

Checking his watch, he walked to his built-in to choose some clothes. He had time before meeting the seer, but he wasn't in the mood to work on his latest graphic novel. He'd go see a play tonight and pick up a snack on the way. He was meeting the seer reluctantly, at 11.30pm. Now that Vicki wasn't around, he preferred to stay out of supernatural battles and keep a low profile. His generous lips quirked as he recalled the strange normality of the seer calling him on his phone. Difficult to give a vampire visions he suspected, as he didn't dream.

“I need your help” she had said, then whispered a name.

Henry hadn't heard that name for almost a century, and his heart sank. He thought last time had been the end of it, but he should have known better. Henry and demons had a long history, none of it good. But he couldn't walk away from this. He dressed in a wine-red button-up shirt and black pants. He slipped his rosary into his pocket, and slung his long black trench-coat across his shoulders. Black boots completed his ensemble, and he checked his hair in the mirror, smiling at the handsome image he made.

His blue eyes bled to black and he could feel his fangs trying to come down. Henry needed that snack sooner than later. Heading for the lift, he decided to spend his remaining time at a club and skip the theatre. It was child's play to charm someone and take a sip from their neck while dancing in the darkness, and he felt like taking his time with his food tonight.

**Tom and Ben**

Ben and Tom stood on the stage, wearing casual attire- sweat pants and tight fitting t-shirts. They made a pretty picture, Tom's tight blonde curls next to Ben's dark hair, which would be curly if it wasn't cut short. Both men were tall and lean, though Ben showed just a little more muscle. Behind them, stage hands crouched while painting a backdrop. A scattering of people lounged in the audience seating, reading their scripts, mouthing words silently to themselves. An older man dressed simply in jeans and a t-shirt watched the stage, occasionally glancing at the sheaf of papers in his hand and making a note.

Tom ran a quick hand through his hair, green eyes looking haunted, and continued speaking to Ben. “To quit him with his arm? And is't not to be damn'd to let this canker of our nature come in further evil?”

Ben's face, which had been showing shock, now looked thoughtful. “It must be shortly known to him from England what is the issue of the business there.”

“It will be short: the interim is mine; and a man's life's no more than to say 'one'. But I am very sorry, good Horatio, that to Laertes I forgot myself; for, by the image of my cause, I see the portraiture of his: I'll court his favours: but, sure, the bravery of his grief did put me into a towering passion.”

“Alright, we'll leave it there guys!” said the older man authoritatively from the seats. “Great work everyone, keep learning your lines over the weekend and we'll take this up again next week.” He looked up at Tom and Ben. “Going great up there, I'm really liking the way you've paced this scene. Tom, next week I want to hear your thoughts on Hamlet's motivations in the first acts. Ben, I want you to think about Horatio's relationship with Hamlet, and how it affects his relationships with the other characters.”

He collected his bag, and left the theatre. Tom and Ben nodded, lightly jumping off the stage and collecting their coats. Ben headed for the loose group of other actors as they collected up their pages and coats, slinging his scarf around his neck.

“How's it going?” he grinned, helping Mark pick up the pages he dropped. Mark mock-groaned.

“I'm never going to learn these lines Ben! Why on earth did I audition for Laertes?”.

“Because you're a glutton for punishment. Don't worry, I'll make you look good!” Ben retorted cheekily.

Mark smacked Ben gently on the nose with his papers. “Whatever pretty boy. We're all going out for a late drink, want to join? We might hit a club after.”

Ben opened his mouth to agree, then stopped. Well that was weird. Usually he was all for a night clubbing, he and Tom were none too shabby on the dance floor. He was blessed with Tom for a flatmate, they liked similar activities, and there was always someone at hand to run through lines with. Being in Hamlet together was going to help enormously. Mark was waiting on an answer, but strangely enough, Ben wanted to say no. He suddenly had the urge to go walk around London for a bit. He took an internal check. Was he just tired out from being social? Nope. Huh.

“Um, rain-check?” Ben replied, still feeling weird. “Not quite in the mood.”

Mark shrugged. “Sure. See you on Monday then.”

He joined the group and they left the theatre along with the stage hands, chattering and laughing.

Tom quickly scribbled down the director's “homework” for the weekend on his script, along with a few notes and questions that had come up. He was feeling quite excited about getting his acting teeth stuck into Hamlet, it was a favourite play of his. Well, anything by Shakespeare was on his favourite list, but the troubled Prince of Denmark was a fascinating character, one that Tom was looking forward to exploring further. This was his second year at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, and he was enjoying his time immensely. His parents were still unconvinced about his career choice, they would have preferred he'd pursue a more lucrative line of work. That was something he and Ben had in common. But he knew that this was where he needed to be. Acting was his passion, and he was never going to give that up. Exploring human frailties and portraying their stories was endlessly fascinating.

Tom checked his watch. 11.00, rehearsals had gone late tonight. Not that he minded. He glanced over to the group of actors, Laci met his eye and made her way over.

“You up for some dancing tonight Tom?” she asked.

“Um...” Tom was going to say yes (of course, he loved to dance) but suddenly he felt reluctant. “Thanks for the invitation darling, but I'm not feeling in the mood tonight.”

Laci shrugged. “That's fine. You know where we'll be if you change your mind.”

She shot him a grin and moved to join the group of actors heading out of the theatre. Ben glanced over at Tom, saw him engaging with Laci, and smiled to himself. He could never decide whether Tom was innocently unaware of his charisma or whether he did know, and had fun playing the innocent. So far Tom seemed content to be friends with everyone, nothing more. Ben could understand that, he did a similar thing. Though he did enjoy flirting. He walked over to Tom.

“Not in the mood for dancing either?” he commented.

Tom shook his head. “No. This will sound strange, but I feel like taking a long walk around London.”

“I feel the same way, I can't explain it either.”

Tom smiled, and struck a dramatic pose. “Let's do it then. Explore her streets in the cover of darkness, and discover the quality of her soul.”

“No one will ever guess you're an actor!” Ben laughed, rolling his eyes.

Tom chuckled back and finished buttoning up his long coat. He glanced at the stage and saw there was one guy left, painting the set.

“You'll lock up then, Harry?” he asked.

Harry nodded, and the two men left the theatre. It was was still drizzling outside, Tom and Ben were glad they had their coats. They started walking, neither of them making a decision on where to go, but they felt somehow, that their walking had a purpose.

**Amy and Sophie**

The club was full tonight. Amy guessed that it was the guest DJ, he seemed to have quite a following. As the night went on, his set changed to heavy industrial. Amy liked it, but shooting a glance at her friend and flatmate Sophie, she decided to call it a night. Sophie's face was a tense mask, and had become so ever since the club became more and more crowded. Amy grabbed her hand, caught her eyes, and tilted her head towards the exit. Sophie nodded, her hazel eyes looking relieved, and they both pushed their way out, grabbing their coats from the coat check girl as they passed. Once outside in the cool air they leant against the wall under the shop awning, protected from the rain.

“Thanks” said Sophie quietly. “I was having a good time, it was just getting late and it was so crowded...”

“No worries!” Amy replied cheerfully. “I was getting ready to call it a night anyhow.”

She actually meant that. She suddenly felt a need to get away from all the people and go for a walk. Weird. Amy looked over at Sophie and silently gave thanks to the gods of share houses. When she put up the notice in the history department offices for someone to share her flat, she never thought she would get so lucky. Sophie was also from Australia, and they both worked in the history department at University College London. It was great having another Aussie to share experiences with. After all, that was why they had both taken the job- to experience living in another country. Amy could still remember her mother's shock over the telephone at the news.

“But, but you'll be in a foreign country, all alone- how will you cope?”

“I'll cope just fine Mum” Amy had replied, exasperated. “Besides, we originally came from England, right? I'm just exploring my roots.”

Sophie's mother had a similar reaction Amy recalled, smiling to herself. Just because her new friend was a little shy and reserved, did not mean she couldn't take care of herself. Though Amy suspected that Sophie's family hadn't ever given her much of a chance to do that. Which was a shame, as Sophie was a gifted researcher, and frequently in demand from the tenured professors. Amy liked research, but enjoyed teaching and lecturing more. It was fun encouraging students, and showing them how interesting history was. Medieval Europe was Amy's particular field of interest, and she had fun thinking up reasons to show clips from Monty Python and the Holy Grail in her lectures. It had been an intense week of reading and marking assignments, and she had been ready to let loose and relax at the club tonight.

Sophie looked down at the tight red dress she was wearing, highlighting her curves, and hurried to put on her black coat. “How on earth did you talk me into this dress?” she muttered.

Amy grinned. “Well as I recall, it took a couple of glasses of wine, and you remarking that you wanted to try something a little different. You look great, you know. I'm glad you left your curls out instead of straightening them like you do at work.”

Sophie sighed. “I guess. I'm just glad I took a long coat.”

She finished doing up the buttons, and felt relieved as she went back to being nondescript. Well, except for her dark curls. There was a reason she usually straightened them.

“Sadly, Ben wasn't there to see you in that tonight” Amy teased gently.

Sophie stuck out her tongue. “And Tom wasn't there to notice you, either.”

Amy shrugged and said self-deprecatingly. “He'll only end up as a friend, they all do. Be friends with me, go out with the skinnier girls half my size.” She smiled mischievously, and added “They don't know what they're missing!”

The girl's choice of club was no accident, they knew it was a frequent hang out of the drama student crowd. The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) shared a street with UCL, and as part of the university staff, the girls were able to access discounted tickets for all of the RADA performances. They enjoyed seeing the plays, and particularly liked watching a couple of students called Ben and Tom. The boys were fantastic actors, and were well-liked off stage too. Sophie and Amy hadn't progressed past basic introductions and small talk yet, but they hoped they would.

Well Amy hoped, Sophie was just happy that Ben knew her name. She didn't expect it to progress any further. There were much prettier girls in his drama classes. Sophie studied her friend, who was absorbed in pinning her sweaty bright blue hair with purple streaks out of her round face. Her blue/green eyes were narrowed and staring into space as she concentrated. She wore a short black layered chiffon skirt, which stuck out like a little tutu. Her top was the same colour purple as her hair, and had a glittery sheen. On her feet she wore black converse, decorated with blue and purple swirls of glitter paint. Sophie smiled to herself. She thought Amy looked like a punk pre-school teacher, in a good way. She liked how Amy dealt with her differences by showing them off. She wondered how long it had taken her to get to that point growing up.

She had taken a while to pluck up her courage and answer Amy's ad for a flatmate, but she was so glad she did. For all Amy's cheerfulness and energy, she was a remarkably considerate person to live with. She seemed to understand that Sophie needed time to herself, and often nights were spent reading next to each other on the couch, without saying a word. Amy had finished with her hair, and was now doing up the buttons on her wine-red long coat. She had never met a colour she didn't like.

She turned to Sophie. “This sounds weird, but I feel like walking for a bit.”

Sophie looked interested. “Huh, me too. At least we have the shoes for it.”

Amy shuddered. “You'll never get me into a pair of heels, ever.”

The girls proceeded up the street, meandering up side lanes and across roads with no particular destination in mind.

**Henry**

Henry left the club, feeling satisfied. He'd spread out his meal over a couple of humans, a girl and a boy, using his mind powers as usual to make sure that all they remembered was a sultry dance with an attractive man. Now to business. Once he passed the main crowd of humans, he sped up, keeping to the shadows, and stopped outside the address the seer gave him in record time.

He put his hand to the door knocker, and the door creaked open. Henry raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow. Looks like this seer had other powers apart from her visions. A spell keyed to him? Or one keyed to a certain type of person? Interesting. He walked carefully over the threshold, and glided quietly down the hallway. Soon he entered a living room area, surrounded by walls of books. Henry perked up at the sight of all the books, but kept his attention focused on the two humans currently occupying the armchairs.

There was a boy here, face turned to the laptop he balanced on his knees. He was pretty, with warm brown eyes under strong eyebrows, and chocolate brown hair that fell untidily around his face in a jaw-length bob. Henry wondered what part the boy had in all this. He looked to the other human, whom he suspected was the seer he came to meet. She stood up at his approach, blonde hair caught up in a loose side plait, and watched him with her unsettling blue eyes.

“I am here, as you requested” said Henry cautiously, inclining his head to her.

The boy jumped and nearly dropped his laptop. Henry met his gaze and smiled seductively. The boy's face changed quickly from shock to wariness, warm brown eyes growing cold. Ah. Not an innocent, Henry thought. That face had seen hard times, and harder people.

“Thank you for coming” the girl said softly. “I am Cassandra.” Henry looked inquiringly at the boy.

“I'm Caleb.”

Henry smiled at him. “And I am Henry Fitzroy.”

Caleb looked unimpressed. Henry used his gaze to catch Caleb's eyes, and showed in his eyes his sincere appreciation of the boy's beauty. Caleb looked down, shifting uneasily. Henry smiled to himself, and turned his attention to Cassandra. It was a little petty, teasing the boy so, but Henry was feeling uncomfortable around the seer, and teasing always made him feel better.

“Are you sure about what you saw?” Henry asked.

Cassandra nodded. “Yes. Akuzaal will try to rise again.”

Henry suppressed a shiver. He did not like demons. He did not like being mixed up in demon business. It had a low survival rate, and Henry was all about survival.

“Who is Akuzaal? Are you finally going to explain what's going on, why you need me here?” Caleb burst out impatiently.

Cassandra nodded, and checked her watch. “In five minutes, the others will arrive, and I will explain everything” she said softly.

Caleb groaned, and leant back in the armchair. “You keep teasing, and you don't deliver.”

Henry chuckled, and Caleb pointed a finger. “Don't even start.” His lips quirked into a reluctant grin. “So who are you exactly, Henry? Can I at least know that?”

Henry was impressed. Caleb said who, but his tone said what. An observant young man. An American, so Henry's name didn't seem to be ringing a historical bell. If Cassandra was including him in the demon problem, he should probably come clean to Caleb about what he was. If Caleb reacted badly he could just alter his memory later. Given his reaction to Henry's gaze, Henry was confident that Caleb's mind would be susceptible. Thankfully there weren't many humans like Vicki. Henry decided to come right to the point. It would prove entertaining, since he hadn't done that for a long time.

“Certainly” Henry purred. “I am a vampire.”

Caleb's face was a study in astonishment. Comically so. He jumped up from his seat, laptop falling to the floor rug. He ran a distracted hand through his hair, staring at Henry. He started to grin, then as he noticed that Cassandra showed no signs of surprise, his face turned thoughtful.

“Prove it then!” he challenged.

Henry laughed delightedly. In a heartbeat, he was suddenly in front of Caleb, grasping the boy's upper arms and lifting him gently into the air. His eyes bled to black, and he smiled, showing his fangs.

“Is that sufficient?” Henry inquired.

Caleb gulped, and Henry could smell his fear. It was intoxicating, but Henry had learned to control himself many decades ago. He lowered the boy to the floor, and carefully took a step back. He picked up Caleb's laptop and placed it on the seat. He let his eyes bleed back to blue, and retracted his fangs. Caleb lifted the laptop with shaking hands, and sat down. Henry seated himself in a chair opposite.

“Ok. Well, I guess I did ask you to prove it. So, are you um, good?”

Henry smiled, impressed again at Caleb's acceptance. Most humans would have twisted themselves in knots trying to explain away what they just saw.

“How would you classify good, Caleb? I'm very good at some things.” He let the heat rise in his gaze so Caleb was made quite aware of what sort of thing he was good at. “If you mean do I kill humans, not as a rule. I'm perfectly capable of taking what I need without harming anyone. In fact, they tend to enjoy it.”

**Amy and Sophie**

The girls' coats were slowly getting soaked through as they continued to walk. They were starting to feel as though they were headed somewhere in particular, strangely. The road was getting dark, dimly lit by street lights that had seen better days.

“Hey, can you hear voices?” Amy suddenly said.

The girls had been walking up a deserted street for a little while, and could see an old park. Two tall figures walked out of the park talking, and then they heard a very familiar laugh.

“That sounds like Tom” Amy said. “I'd know that laugh anywhere.” She cupped her hands and yelled “Hey! Tom?”

The two figures stopped and looked behind them. There was a startled exclamation, and they turned and headed for the two girls. As they got closer, stepping under the street light, the girls recognised them.

“You're right, and oh that's Ben!” Sophie said breathlessly. She wished her hair wasn't such a mess. The boys walked back to join them, looking surprised.

“Hi Amy and Sophie, right?” Tom said.

He thought he remembered Henry introducing them after their performance in Othello last week. Amy and her hair were hard to forget. They seemed to be regular attendees at the RADA theatre.

“Yeah!” Amy smiled. “Fancy seeing you guys here.” She looked around. “Though I'm not quite sure where 'here' is.”

“Yeah, me neither.” Ben agreed.

He noticed Sophie shivering, whipped off his scarf and slung it gently around her neck.

“Here. You look cold.”

Startled, Sophie met his eyes, colour blooming in her cheeks. Ben looked into her eyes, blushed and was suddenly lost for words. Why hadn't he noticed Sophie's eyes before? They were amazing. A colour the rich brown of well-steeped tea wrapped around her pupil. It radiated out like a starburst, bleeding into flecks of yellow and green, which in their turn were circled by a ring of smoky brown. He could get lost in those eyes. Being speechless around a girl was a new experience for him. Usually it was easy for him to put on his charming persona. Sophie made him feel nervous.

Tom smirked at Ben. It looked like Ben had finally met a girl that made him tongue-tied. He snuck a glance at Amy. She was watching Sophie with a smirk of her own. He wondered if he'd get a chance to know Amy better. He still remembered her from their brief meeting last week, not just because of her hair, but of the way she carried herself. She had an innate confidence in her interactions with him that he found very attractive.

“So, what brings you lovely ladies to this place?” Tom asked.

They all started walking again without really thinking about it. Amy hesitated.

“This is going to sound weird. But I just felt like walking all of a sudden. So did Sophie. So we did, and eventually we ended up here.”

They passed the park and stopped in front of a tall three storey building with ivy growing up its stone walls. Tom and Ben looked at each other in surprise.

“Er, so did we” said Ben. “After rehearsals. We just wandered around and ended up here. And I feel quite strongly that I need to go inside this building.”

They all looked nervously at the front door, faded blue paint peeling, the brass of the door-knocker old and tarnished.

“I think we all feel that way, don't we?” Amy looked at Tom and Sophie inquiringly. They nodded.

Ben shrugged. “Let's do it then, and find out what is going on.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Welcome Buffy” said Cassie, smiling. “I am Cassandra, the seer who was in contact with you and Willow. Thank you for coming.”
> 
> Buffy shrugged. “It sounded like you have an impending apocalypse” she said casually, hefting her weapon. “I'm good at stopping those.”

Ben stepped boldly up to the door and grasped the door-knocker. The door swung open, lighting them all up against the outside darkness. Everyone jumped. 

“So that's not weird at all” Sophie muttered. When Ben turned and smiled at her, she realised he had heard her. 

She was completely fine with having those eyes smiling in her direction. They were a remarkable palette of colour. Honey-brown streaks feathered out from around his pupils like the delicate brushstrokes of a master artist. They layered over the sea blue colour of the rest of his eye, creating little flecks and strokes of green. Even as she watched the colours changed from blue to green and back again, as if his eyes flirted with the light itself. Sophie blushed again, realising that she'd been staring at him a bit longer than she should. 

“Let's all go inside together” Amy interrupted, close behind Sophie. 

Ben nodded, and offered his arm to Sophie. Nervously, Sophie took it, wondering why he had offered. Tom and Amy brought up the rear. Tom offered Amy his arm which she took, figuring that he felt obliged to since Ben had offered first. Slowly they made their way down the dim hallway, heading for the patch of light at the end. As they moved closer they could see the square shaped arrangement of armchairs and couches, and three people sitting there. As they approached, a blonde girl stood up from the armchair facing the hallway and greeted them. 

“Welcome! Please have a seat, and I'll bring you some refreshments.” She headed for the stairs. 

The young people entered the room, looking around at all the books, and at the boy sitting facing them, with a laptop on his knees. The other man was sitting with his back to them, but as he turned around they all gasped. 

“Henry!” 

Henry looked surprised, then stood and smiled at them welcomingly. 

“Well you are a surprise. Let me introduce you. This young man here is Caleb, from America. Caleb, this is Benedict and Thomas, Amy and Sophie. Benedict and Thomas are accomplished actors from the local drama school. Amy and Sophie work at the university, and are keen theatregoers. The young lady who went to fetch you refreshments is called Cassandra.” 

Amy wasn't sure what Henry was doing here (or any of them, for that matter), but she felt a lot less nervous. She and Sophie frequently ran into Henry at the RADA performances. He was always charming and easy to talk to (and being handsome and flirty made their nights out at the theatre so much more fun). She was forever grateful for him introducing them to Ben and Tom. 

“Why don't we sit down?” Amy suggested, motioning to the empty couches. “I don't know what we're doing here, but I've been walking awhile and could do with a rest.” 

Everyone took her advice, and Amy was happy to see that Tom kept her arm tucked in his, and they ended up sitting down in couples, her and Tom on one couch, Sophie and Ben on the opposite one. Caleb was still sitting on his armchair to her left, while Henry lounged on the one to her right. Cassandra came down the stairs carrying a tray full of mugs, which she placed on the coffee table in the middle of the seating square. 

“I have tea, coffee and hot chocolate” she announced sweetly. 

Cassie sat back down on the chair next to Caleb. The others picked up mugs, and introduced themselves to Cassie. 

“So were you guys called here too?” asked Caleb impatiently. “She said she wouldn't explain anything until the 'others' arrived. Is that you guys?” 

“We don't know why we're here” Ben said slowly, as if he was thinking hard. “We all felt like we had to go out walking tonight, and we all ended up here.” 

Tom's eyes had narrowed at Caleb's words.

“You said called?” he asked Caleb. “What do you mean by that?” 

Cassie had yet to speak up, she seemed content to let the conversation go on without her contribution. 

Caleb looked wary. “Well, if I tell you how, you may not believe me. I have a friend who is a ghost, and I live with a lady who has visions. They told me I was needed at this address. I assumed that Cassie here sent her a vision or something.” 

Cassie nodded serenely. “I did.” 

Amy and Sophie exchanged glances, disbelieving. Tom and Ben laughed. Sophie noticed that Henry didn't seem surprised. That was interesting.

Caleb shrugged, looking resigned. “I know. I was like you guys once.” 

Cassie stood up, drawing the attention of everyone.

“I will explain to you all why you are here, but first I need to bring our last member through. If you'll follow me?” 

She moved past the sitting area, to a stretch of clear floor, and carefully placed a large circle of small crystals down. She stepped back and closed her eyes, her face a mask of concentration. The rest of the group stood up and watched her. Slowly, they became aware of a deep humming noise. It appeared to be coming from the crystals. They started to glow bright white. The light shot out from the crystals, met in the middle and exploded into a large black wavering hole. A few seconds later, a girl stepped out of the black hole, which promptly closed. 

She was dressed simply in tight brown jeans and a red tank top. Her hair was blonde and swept up in a sensible ponytail. She carried a large rucksack on her back, and In her hands she held a large gleaming weapon. At first glance it appeared to be an axe, but the longer Tom stared at it, he could see differences. He had handled a lot of weapons in his theatre training (he was great with swords) but he never seen anything like it before. Aware that he was using his examination to put off dealing with the girl coming out of thin air, he continued observing. The head and blade were thinner than an axe head, and he noticed that there was a hand grip/handle set directly behind the blade, which was strange. The handle continued down, then turned to wood, reaching a sharp point. Also strange. He noticed Henry studying the blade too, and saw him take a careful step back from the scene. 

“Welcome Buffy” said Cassie, smiling. “I am Cassandra, the seer who was in contact with you and Willow. Thank you for coming.” 

Buffy shrugged. “It sounded like you have an impending apocalypse” she said casually, hefting her weapon. “I'm good at stopping those.” 

“Ok what just happened?!” Amy demanded, stepping closer to Cassie. “Where did she come from? What is going on?” 

Buffy looked interested. “They don't know?” She moved over to the chair next to where Henry had been and flopped herself down. “Please, go ahead, I'll just watch. Giles away.” She grabbed an unattended mug, and put her bag and weapon on the floor. 

Everyone had moved to face Cassie at this stage. Cassie studied their bewildered faces and looked amused. 

“I thought you may have a better chance of believing me if you saw me bring Buffy through first. She came from a parallel universe. You saw me create a portal to it, with the help of a witch at her end. As to why I needed to do that, I'll explain.” 

She waved at the chairs, returning to hers and sitting down. “You may as well get comfortable, this will probably take a little while.” 

Amy sighed. “All right.” 

They all moved back to their chairs, retrieved their mugs and turned their eyes to Cassie. Sophie noticed that whatever the heating was in this room, it was working. Her coat wasn't dripping any more. The faint scent of Ben still clung to the scarf around her neck. She blushed again, thinking about it. Sophie glanced over at Amy and Tom. They were gazing at Cassie, faces bright with interest. Tom had stopped holding Amy's arm, but Sophie noticed that their bodies were angled slightly to each other. Whatever adventure they were being thrown into, it looked like one that may be bringing Amy and Tom closer together. Literally. Henry was sitting in the armchair next to Buffy's. He had stopped sprawling, and kept eyeing Buffy cautiously. Sophie wondered what that was about. 

Cassie put her mug down, and folded her hands in her lap. 

“In London, about 100 years ago, there was an order that worshipped a demon called Akuzaal. They were obsessed with finding a way to summon him to our world. Akuzaal is a devourer of worlds. If they succeeded in summoning him, he would devour our universe, then go on to devour the next parallel universe, and so on forever.” 

“So a bad idea. I take it the order didn't succeed, since we're all still here.” Amy commented. 

“No they didn't. Because the seers that were around at that time saw what they were doing, and recruited a special team of people...” She turned an amused glance in Henry's direction. “to stop it. These people were endowed with special powers to help conduct a ritual to banish the demon before he made it through to our reality. They also had to fight the other lesser creatures the order was throwing at them. In the end, they were victorious. The rare objects the order used to summon the demon were taken and hidden.” 

“Why not destroyed?” Ben interjected. 

Buffy shot him an approving look. 

“They tried many ways and magics, but they couldn't harm them” Cassie explained. “So instead they were taken by the seers, who spread themselves throughout the world in an attempt to make bringing them together again very difficult. Akuzaal could only be summoned when a particular arrangement of stars and planets occurred, which also made another attempt difficult. The Seers set about collecting and handing down the knowledge of this event so we would be prepared if it ever happened again. Unfortunately, the order didn't die out, and now as the stars and planets come into the same alignment as before, they are trying to summon the demon again.” 

“And you are assembling another team” Tom finished. 

Cassie nodded. “I need all of you. And this time, with the addition of Buffy, we may be able to halt it permanently. Our Seer's research has hypothesised that the scythe, wielded by the Slayer, may be what we need to destroy the magical objects for good.” 

“What is a Slayer?” Amy asked. 

Buffy chuckled. “If I had a dollar every time I heard that...Cassie tells me that vampires are different in your universe. In mine, there is one Slayer, chosen to fight the vampires blah blah blah. I managed to change that though, and now I have many Slayers working for me. That's how I was able to leave my universe unattended for a bit. Cassie says that there is a vampire on your team, and I have to say that I'm stumped. Which of you is it?” 

Amy and Sophie shot each other startled looks. Caleb looked at Henry. Henry slowly got to his feet. 

“That would be me.” Henry gave Buffy a courtly bow without taking his eyes off her. “My full name is Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond. At your service.” His arrogant tone seemed to imply the opposite. 

There were gasps from the couches. All the young people, bar Caleb, understood the significance of that name. 

“Wait, you actually are that Henry Fitzroy?” Tom burst out. “A vampire? Really?” His face moved from excited to disbelief. 

“Better do your vamp face dude” suggested Buffy. 

Caleb grinned. “It's true, I've seen it.” 

Henry sighed. “I suppose it is necessary.” He looked cautiously at Buffy. “Are you going to feel the urge to slay me?” 

Buffy shook her head. “Cassie explained that you're needed, so not unless provoked. No biting.” 

Henry, looking relieved at Buffy's words, shot her a smouldering look, followed by a flirty smile. “I assure you, anyone I bite highly enjoys the experience. I don't need to force anyone.” 

Buffy rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Do the face.” 

Henry let his eyes bleed to black and showed his fangs. Assuming the other team members reacted well to this, he was actually happy to come out. It would be nice having some human friends again that knew his secret. And if he knew Tom, Ben and the girls, they would want to grill him for all the historical details of his former life. 

Again, there were gasps all round. Except Caleb, who'd already seen the show, and Buffy, who just looked interested. She stood up and peered at Henry's face. 

“Huh, you vampires really are different here. No bumpy face? It's prettier, I guess. Are you a mopey vampire with a soul type guy?” 

Henry looked affronted. “My soul has always been my own.” He slipped the rosary out of his pocket. “I go regularly to midnight mass and confession. And I don't 'mope'. I quite enjoy being what I am.” 

Buffy looked surprised at the rosary. “Oh really? You don't have 'the demon takes up residence in your body thing' then? And crosses or holy water don't work? Damn. What about sunlight?” 

“It burns, of course. I sleep like the dead once the sun rises, and awaken again at sunset.” 

As they talked, Tom and Amy slowly approached Henry, looking fascinated. Ben was content to watch from the couch, as was Sophie. 

“That's amazing” Tom said in a hushed tone. “You've been wandering the world all this time? What stories you could tell.” 

Henry flashed him a grin. “I'd be delighted to have you over for drinks and tales sometime.” 

Amy grinned. “Me too please.” 

Caleb shook his head. “Henry showed me and I freaked out a bit, you guys are just excited.” 

Ben shot him an amused glance. “Henry is a historical figure of some note, hence the reaction. We're all history buffs here.” 

“Ah. School wasn't really a thing for me.” 

Ben caught Cassie's eye.

“Why do you need a vampire for this thing?” 

“Henry's not just a vampire, he was the one who helped face Akuzaal last time he tried to rise.” Cassie answered. “Part of the banishing ritual required the blood of the royal line, and his was the easiest to get. Now that he took part in the ritual, he can be used again this time.” 

Ben nodded, looking thoughtful. 

“What was it like, when you faced him last time?” Sophie asked Henry quietly. 

Henry looked sombre. “It was...unpleasant. I'm not at all fond of demons.” 

“Everyone seems to be ignoring the main issue, so I'll say it.” Amy declared. “How on earth can we be a demon-banishy team? I get that Buffy's all superslayer, Henry's undead, but what about the rest of us? Why did you call us? I take it you drew us here, to this house. Hence our weird need to wander and end up here. What's so special about us?” 

Everyone looked at Cassie. 

“The rest of you, are descendants of the original team. Their bloodline runs in you.” Cassie stated calmly. “I put out a call to that bloodline, and those suitable to receive the power would come to this house. Caleb was too far away to call in that way, but I had a vision of him, and was able to contact his friends to bring him here.” 

“Oh” Amy said weakly, and sat down. She wasn't sure what sort of explanation she expected, but it wasn't that. 

Tom joined her on the couch, leaning forward to address Cassie.

“What do you mean by 'suitable to receive power'?” 

“The original team used elemental powers to banish the demon. My spell called those of their bloodline who would be able to wield this power. The powers have been stored all this time, and if you agree to be part of this, I will give them to you.” 

“What do these powers do?” asked Ben. 

Cassie shrugged. “It is different for everyone, so I cannot say. But it will equip you with the means to defend yourselves against any creatures the Order will send against you, as well as be part of the banishing ritual.” 

Tom looked thoughtful. “You said you had these powers stored. So do we lose the powers after the demon is banished?” 

“I'm not sure yet. The powers were stored so they may assist next time the Order try to raise the demon. But if Buffy's weapon succeeds in destroying the magical objects needed for summoning, there may be no need to store them.” 

“What's the catch?” Caleb said, looking wary. “These things always have a catch.” 

“With powers, you will become more of a target for the Order, and other supernatural creatures” Cassie admitted. “But the Order are already searching for those of your bloodline, so they would find you eventually anyway. The powers will at least give you a means of defence.” 

Cassie stood, and unlocked a small cupboard at the base of the large bookcase behind her. She retrieved and placed a large crystal on the coffee table. It was a large roughly cut purple stone, with many faces. In the middle of the crystal a core of purple fire glowed steadily. 

“In this crystal are the powers you need” Cassie explained. “You need to decide if you will be part of this. If you all agree, place a hand on this crystal, and the power will come to you. Talk it over amongst yourselves. It goes without saying that I hope you choose to help us.” She sat back and watched the others expectantly. 

Caleb sighed. “So the Order are going to come after us whether we have powers or not? Great.” He looked around at the others and shrugged. “I'm in.” 

Amy and Sophie exchanged glances. “What do you think?” Amy asked her. 

“It scares the hell out of me” Sophie admitted quietly. “Fighting demons and stuff? I don't know if I can do that. But I don't want the world to end, either.” 

Buffy looked sympathetic. “It's not an easy decision. I was chosen, I didn't get to decide. And I tried to run away from it, but it followed me. It's a lot of responsibility.” She looked thoughtful. “I was used to taking it on by myself, and I finally figured out that there was nothing wrong with depending on each other and having a team to back me up.” She motioned to them. “One advantage you guys have, is that you're a team from the start. You won't have to be alone in this thing. And fighting? That's something I can teach you.” 

Amy nodded. “Thanks. At the risk of sounding shallow? Having powers sounds really cool.” 

Tom chuckled. “Putting aside the serious issues for a moment, I agree with you darling. Sounds like a grand adventure.” 

Ben grinned. “I like the idea of being a team. And if we're the ones that are needed to stop this demon from rising, how can we refuse?” 

“I will help, again.” Henry murmured. “I have no wish to see this world be devoured.” 

“I'm not sure how much help I could be, but I'll give it a try.” Sophie said quietly. 

Ben smiled at her and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “You won't be alone” he said reassuringly. 

Caleb, Ben, Tom, Amy and Sophie scooted closer to the crystal on the coffee table. 

Amy looked at Cassie inquiringly. “So we all just touch it?” 

Cassie nodded. “Rest your hand on it and wait. You will feel a small sting, but don't remove your hand.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amy snickered. “So we're like the Planeteers?” She was met with blank faces from everyone, except Sophie, who grinned. “Never mind.”

Amy looked around at the others, and saw the same excited/scared expressions that she suspected she wore. Gingerly she placed her hand on the crystal, and saw the others do the same. The crystal was big enough for all their hands. It made an interesting picture; her hands sparkling with purple glitter nail polish, Sophie's with red nails to match her dress (Amy noticed, amused, that she was still hiding her outfit under her coat), Ben's long pale fingers contrasting with Tom's warmer toned, long fingers. Caleb's hand looked small and tanned compared to the other boys. The crystal felt warm under her hand, and she could feel it vibrate. Suddenly there was a jolt of pain in her palm. 

“Ow!” Amy exclaimed, but remembering Cassie's words, kept her hand where it was. Sophie had a similar reaction, the boys winced, but kept silent. Amy rolled her eyes. 

Her palm now seemed to throb in time with the crystal. Purple started glowing under her palm, slowly changing colour to deep red. Amy glanced at the others and saw a similar process. The glow under Sophie's hand was white, Ben had a pink glow, Caleb's was green and Tom's was blue. All of a sudden the red glow enclosed her hand, and shot up her arm like an electric shock, jolting her off the crystal and back on to the floor. 

Looking around, Amy saw that the others were on the floor too. She could see Henry and Buffy leaning over. 

“You guys all right down there?” Buffy asked. 

She could see Henry leaning over her, looking intently at her hand. 

“I'm good!” Amy answered, sitting up. She inspected her hand, and saw drops of blood welling out from a small hole in the middle of her palm. “The crystal bit me!” she exclaimed indignantly. “I need a tissue or something” she grumbled, holding it. 

She glanced over at the others and saw they had similar wounds. 

“Allow me?” Henry asked, placing his hand under hers gently. 

Amy nodded, a little confused. Henry brought her palm up to his lips, and he placed a kiss there. She could feel his tongue dart out and lick the small cut. It should have been weird, but it felt really good. Amy blushed and shifted a little on the floor. It felt a bit too good. Henry released her palm, and she saw that the hole has disappeared. 

Amy drew in a shaky breath and moved back to her spot on the couch. “Well, that was um, useful. Thanks.” 

Henry smiled and she could see that his blue eyes were darkening a little. “My pleasure.” 

Tom joined her on the couch. “Are you all right?” He took her hand in his long fingers and examined her palm carefully. “That's amazing!” 

He moved over to Henry and held out his hand. “Can you do me?” 

Henry chuckled. “Certainly Thomas.”

He took Tom's hand and kissed his palm. Amy watched Tom's face and suspected he was having a similar reaction to hers. Henry released his hand and Tom let out an explosive sigh, moving back next to Amy. She could see that his palm was better too. Ben was helping Sophie to their couch, Caleb was studying the crystal, hand held up a little as it bled. Next to Henry, Buffy rolled her eyes. 

“Really? You're going to give everyone a lick and a good time?” 

“Why not? I don't see anyone complaining” Henry purred. “Anyone else?” 

Ben glanced at Tom. “Is it all healed?” 

Tom nodded, and held out his hand. “Amazingly. It feels incredible too.” 

Amy nodded shakily. “Yeah, it totally doesn't suck. Well, he does, but you know what I mean.” 

Ben moved over to Henry and held out his hand. Henry repeated his kiss, same result. Ben moved back to the couch on shaky legs. 

“Wow. Ok, that was interesting. If that was how you can make me feel with just a...yeah ok I see why you don't have any troubles obtaining sustenance” Ben said a little breathlessly. 

Henry chuckled. “You're welcome.” He looked at Sophie, who was watching him nervously. Carefully, Henry moved over to kneel in front of her. “Could I be of assistance?” he asked gently, holding out his hand. 

Sophie gingerly placed her hand in his, after glancing nervously at Ben, who smiled reassuringly. Henry raised her hand, kissing it carefully, leaving her with a completely healed palm. Sophie sank back on the couch, blushing. Henry turned his attention to Caleb, who looked up from the crystal as if he felt Henry's gaze. 

“Really? All the other's blood isn't enough for you?” Caleb snarked. 

Buffy chortled. 

“I seek simply to help, Caleb” Henry said, looking amused. “I can't imagine that having a bleeding hole in your hand would be particularly useful to you.” 

“Fine” Caleb grouched, holding out his hand. “Just do it quick.” 

Henry was suddenly a blur, then he slowed to normal speed, sitting back in his armchair. Caleb looked at his now clean and healed palm in shock. 

“You said to be quick” Henry smirked. 

Colour rising in his cheeks, Caleb sat back on his chair. “I take it the blood was to figure out if we were of the bloodline” he said to Cassie. 

Cassie nodded. “Yes, and to match you with the right elemental power.” 

“Is that why the glows were different colours?” Amy asked. 

“Yes, the colours represent different elements. You had red, which means your power is that of fire. Caleb's was green, which means earth. Ben has pink, representing air. Tom's is blue, which is water and Sophie's is white, the colour of spirit.” 

Amy snickered. “So we're like the Planeteers?” She was met with blank faces from everyone, except Sophie, who grinned. “Never mind.” 

“How do we use the powers, though?” Ben asked. 

Amy yawned, setting off Sophie. She glanced at her watch.

“Guys it's like 2am. Can we sleep and then figure out how we're going to fight the bad things?” 

“I think that's a good idea. You don't want to be trying out new stuff when you're tired” Buffy agreed. 

Henry rose. “I will take my leave of you, and return here at sunset.” He smiled around at the group. “I think life is about to get more interesting. I look forward to getting to know you all better.” 

“There are bedrooms upstairs if you wanted to sleep here” Cassie offered. “This place is safe from interference, there are protection spells layered all around the building. I mean this to be a base of operations for you. I will go to bed too, and see you all later in the morning.” 

Caleb stood up, hugging his laptop to his chest. “I've already been sleeping in one of the bedrooms, so I'll be sleeping here. See you guys in the morning.” 

“Hey I'll join you” said Buffy, rising to follow. She stopped. “Ah I mean, not actually join join you.” 

Caleb chuckled. “I get what you meant.” 

They all made their way up the stairs, Caleb carrying his laptop, Buffy her backpack and scythe. 

Amy looked around at the others.

“Shall we sleep here too?” she suggested. “I don't really fancy getting out my oyster card for the tube at this time of the morning.” 

Ben nodded. “Sounds good.” 

“It's fortuitous this happened Friday night, we should have the weekend to experiment with our powers” Tom added, looking excited. 

It was getting warm in the library, and Amy was feeling hot in her coat. She looked around and saw a coat rack in the corner. Shrugging off her coat, she made her way over and hung it up. 

“Good idea” Tom said, following suit. 

Ben stood up and looked down at Sophie, smiling.

“May I take your coat?” 

Sophie stood nervously.

“Um, ok.” 

She shrugged off her coat to reveal her tight red dress, and tried to hand the coat to Ben. His eyes widened and completely missed her coat, dropping it to the floor. 

“Oh I'm terribly sorry!” Cheeks red, Ben bent down and retrieved her coat. “Ah, that's a lovely dress.” 

Sophie heard Amy stifle a snigger.

“Thank you” she said shyly. 

Amy looked down at her outfit.

“You know, I need to sleep now, but we'll have to make a trip back home later. I don't want to be wearing this all weekend.” 

“Ben and I will accompany you when you do, just let us know” Tom said taking her arm. “I don't think we should be travelling alone at this stage. Cassie said our powers would make us easier to target, remember.” 

Amy flashed him a grin. “Thanks. We'll take you up on that later.” 

“Shall we?” suggested Ben, inclining his head towards the staircase. 

The wooden spiral staircase kept going up, but they stepped off at the first landing and found themselves in a dining area. There was a kitchenette, table and chairs, with an open doorway leading to a hallway. 

They entered the hallway, and found a bunch of doors on both sides. Three on the right wall were shut, with an open door after them showing a bathroom. The other wall had a similar arrangement; three bedrooms, with a bathroom at the end. 

Amy stuck her head into the first open bedroom and saw a large room with two single beds. The walls were wallpapered light yellow. The floor was a warm polished wood with cream skirting boards. and the beds were made up with duck-egg blue linen, neatly tucked in so that the four low bed posts and carved legs were visible. A cream picture rail ran along the walls. An empty fireplace underneath a cream painted mantelpiece stood against the left wall, with two blue velvet armchairs sitting comfortably in front of it. On the far wall stood a large wooden wardrobe, a chest of drawers and a dressing table and mirror. The dressing table was painted cream, with delicate carved legs and an oval mirror. 

“We'll take this one” she said, glancing at Sophie, who nodded in agreement. 

Ben and Tom took the second bedroom. 

“See you in the morning” Ben said to Sophie, giving her a charming smile. 

“Sleep well darling” Tom murmured, releasing Amy's arm and giving her hand a squeeze. 

The girls walked into the bedroom. Amy flung herself on the first bed dramatically, while Sophie shut the door. 

“Those boys are too charming for their own good” Amy announced darkly. 

Sophie giggled, lying back on the other bed.

“They certainly are.” 

Amy turned to face Sophie.

“So Ben got to see in you in that dress after all! I think he was impressed.” 

Sophie smiled. “He seemed to be, didn't he?” 

“When he missed your coat I had to contain myself from squealing in your direction. So cute!” 

“Well I'm glad you mostly contained yourself” Sophie said dryly. “I think Tom is impressed with you too. _Darling._ ” 

“Nah he calls everyone darling.” Amy said, looking doubtful. She sighed. “I don't know. Maybe. I'm not really used to analysing boy signals when it comes to me.” She grinned. “You do realise, that later today they'll both be coming to our house?” 

Sophie sighed happily. “Yep.” Then she sat up, looking worried. “What state did we leave our house in? Is the washing up done?” 

Amy chuckled. “Not sure. As long as we don't have underwear lying around, it should be fine.” She yawned. “I'm ready for bed. Bathroom first though.” 

The girls got ready for bed, wishing they had something else to sleep in. 

“You know Ben is on the other side of this wall Sophie!” Amy whispered, grinning. 

Sophie chuckled and threw a pillow at Amy. “Shut up and go to sleep.”

 **Tom and Ben**  

The boys stripped down to their boxers, and lay back on their beds. Their room was a similar size and arrangement to the girls. The armchairs at the fireplace were red velvet, their bedspreads were red, and the walls were wallpapered cream with a single red stripe that ran around above the picture rail. The wood of their beds, wardrobe and dresser were dark, and instead of a dressing table they had a second dresser, and a full length mirror on a stand. 

Tom stretched out his long frame, and yawned. This would have to be the strangest night he'd ever had. Exciting and terrifying. It was hard to believe that they would be fighting creatures with new found powers. He wondered how it would fit around his other life of play rehearsals and theatre classes. 

“This is weird” Ben said suddenly, tucking the bedspread across his chest. “How is this night even real?” 

Tom laughed. “I was just thinking the same thing. Hard to believe we have powers. I guess we'll find that out this weekend.” He smirked at Ben. “At least the company will be pleasant. Though how will you be able to concentrate when the lovely Sophie is around?” 

Ben made a face at him. “Can you blame me? I'd like to get to know her better.” 

Tom chuckled. “Well I did invite ourselves to their house later today, so you may have that opportunity.” 

“Oh so that was just for my benefit was it? I don't think that was the only reason you did it dear” Ben retorted. “I saw the way you regarded Amy.” 

Tom sighed. “Transparent, that's me.” 

“If it's any consolation, I'm under the impression that your interest is returned” Ben offered. 

Tom raised an eyebrow. “Oh? You have mind-reading powers as well now?” 

“No, just a keen understanding of body language.” Ben laughed. 

“I don't need to look at body language to figure you and Sophie out” Tom said. “I had no idea you were such a blusher. And I never thought I'd see you forget how to flirt.” 

Ben sighed. “Those eyes.” 

Tom laughed. “I'm happy for you my friend.” He pulled his bedspread up. “Now go to sleep.”

 **Buffy**  

Buffy changed into a singlet top and sweat pants, before hopping into bed. She was feeling good about this new adventure so far. Her universe was in good hands, Willow and Xander would take care of things, and now they had lots of new Slayers to train. Demon stuff was what she was used to, and after all these years, she was finally good at working with a team. She hadn't seen much of them so far, but what she saw, she liked. They were brave, and willing. That would make her job of teaching them much easier. It was weird having Henry there. She was used to the vampires at home, naturally evil and straightforward to kill. Henry was charming, and apparently not evil. Well, at least so far. Trusting him wasn't going to happen any time soon. There was no way she was getting involved with a vampire again. Angel and Spike were quite enough. 

 **Cassie**  

Cassie slipped under the sheets, having changed into a nightgown. She lay still, staring at the ceiling, as her body started to shake in reaction to tonight's events. Thank goodness that they had accepted the powers. She tried so hard to seem all-knowing and prepared, and she thought she had pulled it off. 

“You are the best one for this task” her grandmother had said to her urgently. “You know out of all of us, you have had the most vivid visions of this possible event.” 

Oh yes, those visions. In full technicolour, with sounds and smells and pain. She regularly woke up with a migraine, vomiting from those. She could still remember what it had felt like to be eaten alive by one of Akuzaal's minions. She was lucky, her grandmother had told her. Not all seers had the ability to both experience visions and have sorceress powers. She was the only one in her generation to be so blessed. She didn't feel so blessed right now. She was terrified. What if they failed? How could she cope with the pressure of this? 

Cassie hadn't even been sure what sort of people her calling spell would attract. In that she seemed to be lucky, the girls and boys seemed willing to help. She hoped that they could fight. If they were killed, it would be her fault. This weekend she needed to work hard to prepare them for battle. She was thankful for Buffy, she sensed that the Slayer was used to directing a team, and Cassie would need her help. 

Sighing, Cassie rolled on her side and tried to sleep. She hoped that tonight would be free of visions. She had a bucket by her bedside though, just in case.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben, Tom, Sophie and Amy get to know each other better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise there'll be some fighting action next chapter! It's my first time posting fanfic, so any comments are welcome. I'm an Australian writer, so if I make any Brit mistakes let me know. :-) Enjoy!

At around 9.00 am, Amy forced open bleary eyes and groaned softly. 

“Hey Sophie! We should probably get up.” 

The girl-sized hump under the blankets in the other bed moved slightly.

“Mmph.” 

“I know. But we have a lot to learn this weekend, and Tom and Ben are coming to our house, remember?” 

The blankets moved down to reveal Sophie's sleepy face, and a fuzz of dark curly hair.

“Oh yeah. Argh I don't want to wear yesterday's clothes.” 

“Me neither. But there's nothing else until we get home. Why don't we see what's in that little kitchen we went through last night?” 

“There had better be coffee” murmured Sophie sleepily. She slid out of bed and padded over to the door. “I'll just go fetch my coat.” 

There was no way she wanted to show up at the breakfast table in just her dress. Leaving Amy contemplating the floor like it was a type of rare species, she opened the door quietly. If she was fast, she could nip downstairs and grab the coat before anyone saw her. Dashing across the hallway, she passed quickly through the dining area and ran smack bang into someone on the landing at the staircase. 

Sophie grabbed his arms as he was jolted backwards by her crash, trying to stop his fall.

“Oh I'm sorry!” 

It was Ben, looking sleepy and tousle-haired. He had on his boxers and a t-shirt. 

“How on earth does he look so cute first thing in the morning” thought Sophie. 

“Are you alright?” Ben asked. “I should have watched where I was going, so sorry.” 

“I think that's my line actually” Sophie murmured. 

Ben grinned, and as she released his arms, cupped his hands over her shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze. “Are you sure you're okay? Where were you going in such a hurry?” 

“Just needed to get my coat.” 

“I'll grab it for you! The black one right?” 

Sophie nodded. He remembered which coat was hers- that was a good sign, right? Ben bounded down the stairs. 

Amy finally decided to head for the bathroom first, and made her way down the hallway in bare feet, yawning. She pulled open the bathroom door just as someone was pushing it from the inside. A gust of steam hit her in the face, closely followed by a tall warm body. It was Tom. Amy was suddenly damp, and extremely aware that he was only wearing a towel. 

“Goodness, I'm terribly sorry!” Tom exclaimed, stepping back, towel sitting dangerously low on his hips. His blonde curls were dripping water onto his shoulders, which then trickled down his chest. Amy tried valiantly not to stare. 

Amy grinned, regaining enough control so her voice didn't emerge in a squeak.

“No worries. I'm a bit more wide awake now, at least.” She indicated her damp face. 

Tom blushed. “Ah yes. I'd offer you a towel, but..” He looked down at his only towel. 

“Don't tempt me.” Amy chuckled. 

Tom burst out laughing, his awkwardness abating. “Maybe later, darling” he said cheekily, with a wink. 

Amy shook her head mock-seriously. “If you're this much of a morning person, you'll have to at least bring me a beverage of some sort.” 

“It gets worse. I've actually just come back from a run” Tom said, tilting his head down and looking penitently at her from under his eyelashes. 

Amy groaned. “Oh dear. You'd better make it a chocolate beverage then.” 

“Done” Tom grinned. “If they have it. You go do your bathroom thing, I'll be in the kitchen with your beverage.” 

“That's what a girl likes to hear” Amy smiled, watching Tom walk up the hallway. He looks good from all angles, she mused. Pity he kept the towel on. 

Amy spent a short time in the bathroom, wishing she had a toothbrush. She started compiling a list of things to pack when they got back to their house. She entered the kitchenette, seeing Sophie at the table hugging a cup of coffee. Ben sat next her with a cup of tea. Tom was leaning against the kitchen cupboard, wearing boxers and a t-shirt. He gave her one of the mugs he was holding. 

“They had hot chocolate, it's your lucky day!” he grinned. 

Amy smiled at him and gratefully took the cup. “Oh this smells wonderful” she smiled, joining him at the table with Ben and Sophie. Feeling a bit more awake, she looked around at the dining room. She hadn't really had the chance to check it out last night. 

The oval shaped table was a warm-toned wood, with mismatched wooden chairs lightly coated with thin white paint so the wood grain still showed through. The table currently seated six, but Amy could see the lines in the middle that suggested it could be expanded. 

The walls in the kitchen and around the dining table were painted light yellow. The kitchenette was small but well planned. There was a fridge and oven neatly placed inbetween wooden cupboards painted white with alternating yellow and mint-green knobs. The counter top matched the dining table, and had a smoky green glass splashback running along underneath the cupboards at head height. The entire floor area was covered in a checkered linoleum, giving the place a retro feel. The benchtops housed a microwave and coffee machine, and tucked into a bottom cupboard was what looked like a dishwasher. Amy was happy to see that, she hated washing up. 

“The others not up yet?” Amy asked. 

Ben shook his head. “They don't appear to be. Are we heading to your place now?” 

Amy nodded. “Yeah the sooner the better. I need a shower and clean clothes.” 

“And we're not really dressed for learning how to fight” Sophie added. 

“Hmm that's a point” Tom said. “Maybe we need to go to our place too.” 

After a short discussion, they realised that their flats were only a train stop away from each other. So they decided on the girls' house first, then the boys. 

“Everyone got enough on their oyster card?” Amy asked, making sure hers was still in her coat pocket. 

Everyone nodded. The boys ducked back to their room to pull on their sweatpants and shoes, the girls put on their shoes, and they all went downstairs to grab their coats. The library was quiet and deserted. Amy pulled a notebook out of her small handbag and scribbled a note. 

“We should let them know where we're going” she explained, leaving the note on the coffee table. “I left mine and Sophie's phone numbers.” 

“Charger” Sophie said suddenly. 

Amy smiled. “Already on the mental list.” 

Ben pulled out his phone and gave it to Sophie. “Let's pass our phones around and put each other's numbers in. We're a team now right? We need to be able to contact each other.” 

Tom pulled out his phone. “Good idea!” 

He swapped phones with Amy, who snickered.

“You know if you wanted my number, you could have just asked.” 

Tom grinned. “What's the fun in that?” 

As they headed up the hallway to the front door, Sophie felt uneasy. 

“I wish we knew how to use our powers already” she said to Ben. 

“We'll be okay, we'll just have to stick together” Ben gave her hand a squeeze. “We won't be gone long.” 

The four trooped out into the grey morning. No rain yet, just a damp chill and a bit of weak sun now and then. After a little while, they figured out that there was a tube station only ten minutes from the house. The train trip was uneventful, and Sophie started to relax a little. Leaving the house had felt like she had a bulls-eye painted on her back. Going to the girl's house first was the plan, and as Amy turned the key in the door, she hoped fervently that there was nothing embarrassing lying around in the lounge-room. 

They entered the lounge-room and Amy sighed in relief. Just the usual mess, nothing embarrassing. The girl's flat was small, but they made good use of the space. The old grey carpet and cream walls came with their lease, but their furniture was all theirs, sourced mostly from charity shops and the occasional lucky score from car boot sales. A comfy green couch was bracketed on either side with two blue overstuffed armchairs. Both sported an assortment of brightly coloured cushions in mostly blue/green patterns. A chocolate brown throw rug hung over the back of the couch. 

A dark wooden entertainment unit housed a TV, DVD player and an xbox. In every spare corner and wall were bookcases stuffed full with books and DVDs. A bunch of books and magazines and empty bowls lay on the floor in front of the TV. 

Amy gestured to the couch. “Why don't you guys take a seat, and I'll make you some tea. Sophie, do you want first shower?” 

Sophie nodded and headed to her bedroom. Ben flopped down in a blue armchair, Tom took the couch. The flat's layout was open plan. The lounge-room opened into a kitchen/laundry room, with a small round dining table and four fold out chairs in the middle. At one end of the kitchen was a door leading to the bathroom. Beyond the kitchen opened into a small hallway with the back door, and a door on either side leading to the girls' bedrooms. 

Amy bustled around the kitchen, filling the kettle to boil, and dumping the dirty dishes from last night's dinner in the sink. The kitchen wasn't too bad for a cheap rental, the blue linoleum floor was faded, but not torn up yet. The flat pack kitchen cabinets were white with chrome handles, and the bench-top was of a marbled blue and black synthetic material that didn't scratch or melt. Amy found some Tim Tam biscuits in the fridge from a care package sent from her sister and chucked them on a pretty floral plate she'd picked up at a charity shop. 

The kettle had boiled, and she made up two mugs of tea (having noticed how the boys took them back at the library). She snagged a bottle of water out of the fridge for herself. Setting it all on a tray, she made her way back to the lounge-room and placed it on the coffee table, before joining Tom on the couch. 

“Try some Australian biscuits!” Amy suggested. 

“Thanks very much” said Tom, grabbing a Tim Tam. 

“They look a bit like our penguin biscuits” Ben said, picking up a biscuit. 

The boys sipped their tea while Amy leant back into the couch and drank her water. She was still having trouble believing that the boys she and Sophie had giggled over at the theatre, were now sitting in their house. 

She could see Tom gazing around her lounge-room, his face bright with interest.

“I love all the bookcases” he said. “And who plays the xbox?” 

“Me! I love gaming. I'm into Assassin's Creed at the moment. Do you play?” 

Tom shook his head. “We don't have one. But I'd love to try.” 

“We'll have to have a gaming night sometime” Amy suggested. 

Tom gave her a brilliant smile. “It's a date.” 

Amy grinned back, stomach tingling with excitement.

“He said the word date!” she thought excitedly. “This is a good sign!” 

“This Tim Tam is great!” Ben pronounced, finishing it off. “They're just as nice as ours. You have a lovely place. Do you spend much time here, or is work quite long hours?” 

“UCL is pretty flexible actually. I teach some tutorials so there's set times for that, and we usually do 9-5 days during the week, but we could change shifts or skip days and make them up later if we wanted. Sophie does a lot of research for the professors, she's really good at it.” 

She smiled to herself as she saw Ben's face change when she mentioned Sophie. 

“Of course the best part of being uni staff is discounted tickets to go see you guys at the theatre. We only met you guys in person recently, but we've seen quite a lot of your plays.” 

“Just you, or Sophie too?” Ben asked, trying to sound nonchalant. 

Amy decided not to tease him. “Yes Sophie too.” 

“What drove you and Sophie to move here to work?” Tom asked. 

“Well you should ask Sophie when she comes out, but I mostly decided to for the adventure. I was bored where I was, there weren't any jobs going in my field, and I've always wanted to travel. The U.K. has such a wealth of interesting history, and I wanted to explore it. A friend in London heard of positions going at the university, and I was lucky enough to be accepted. So, how about what you guys do- why did you choose theatre? What is it that draws you to acting?” 

“Hmm good question!” Tom said. 

Ben motioned to Tom. “After you.” 

“Well, for me it really started with the films my Mother would take me to growing up. She would try to expand my interests by taking me to arthouse films and plays. As a teenager I went to boarding school- at the same time my parents were divorcing, and acting became a way to express myself in an unhappy time. Then I encountered Shakespeare. Kenneth Branagh's Much Ado About Nothing made quite an impression, and I was hooked. I looked up his Hamlet, and I saw a production of Othello and I was fascinated. I find exploring human nature on a stage such a satisfying and interesting experience.” 

Ben grinned. “What he said! Ah no, actually I ended up studying to be a barrister initially, my parents were both actors but they didn't want that life for me. Then I realised that I was putting all this work into something that wasn't a sure thing and that wasn't my passion, I may as well pursue something that is a sure thing, and that I love. Human beings are such complicated creatures- I like exploring those complexities.” 

Tom finished his tea and leaned back on the couch, slinging an arm around Amy's shoulders. Surprised but pleased, she leaned back against him. 

“So what do you think about last night?” Tom asked her, his chest humming against Amy's back as he talked. 

Amy suppressed a shiver. That man's voice should be illegal. 

“Well it's weird, isn't it? Certainly not how I expected our night to go! But...I'm kind of excited about it. Having powers and fighting evil? Too cool. I just hope I'll be good at it. I used to do martial arts back in Australia, but I haven't practised since I've been here. I keep thinking about how I can use fire, I hope it's not hard to master. What do you guys think about it?” 

“Excited and terrified about sums it up” Ben answered, finishing his tea. 

“It feels so surreal” Tom pondered. “Within the space of a night, we're now aware of vampires, demons, visions, parallel universes and super powers. Do you feel any different now we have powers?” 

Amy frowned, trying to tune in to her body.

“Maybe?” she said finally. “I sort of feel a bit hummy, but that could just be the excitement, and not sleeping for long enough.” 

“I feel a little like that too” Ben admitted. 

“That sounds similar to how I feel” Tom agreed. “But it's nothing very obvious. It will be interesting to see how we go about accessing them once we get back to the library for training.” 

“Hey Amy I'm out!” Sophie said, entering the loungeroom. 

She was dressed simply in a pair of blue jeans and a white t-shirt, and her curly hair was damp. 

“Let me make you a drink Sophie!” exclaimed Ben, jumping up from his armchair and heading to the kitchen. 

He needed to do something, apart from admire how lovely Sophie looked. He liked her red dress, but he thought that the simplicity of her jeans and tee made this his favourite outfit of hers so far. 

“Sure, though I'll need to show you where everything is” murmured Sophie, looking amused. 

She followed Ben into the kitchen, not before catching Amy's eye and giving her a meaningful smirk at how comfortable she and Tom looked on the couch. Reluctantly, Amy got up, already missing how good it had felt leaning on Tom. 

“So, I'd better...” she tilted her head at the direction of the bathroom. 

“Of course. Do you mind if I peruse your books?” Tom asked, getting up and moving over to the nearest bookcase. 

“Sure! That's usually the first thing I do in someone's house” Amy admitted. 

She left Tom to peruse, and headed for the bedroom to pick out a new outfit, shower then pack. 

Sophie watched Ben pottering around her kitchen, looking oddly at home. This day was feeling quite surreal. Carefully he handed her a mug of hot chocolate, and they both settled down on the couch. Tom flashed her a grin, and settled down on the armchair to read a book of love poetry. 

Ben watched her as she sipped her hot chocolate, and she felt rather self-conscious. 

“So, what do you like to do for fun Sophie? Apart from ending up at a strange house and suddenly getting powers?” Ben asked, smiling at her. 

“Reading. Mostly historical fiction.” 

“I'm an eclectic reader myself. I like history, autobiographies, thrillers, I'll give anything a go. Considering your job, do you find you pick at the historical fiction stuff you read?” 

“No, not much. Most stuff I like has decent research behind it. Besides, I read for escape, not to be educated about a subject I already know about. I also like dancing.” 

Ben's eyes lit up. “Me too! We should go to a club sometime!” 

Sophie smiled. “I'd like that. I like ballroom dancing as well, it's fun dancing with a partner.” 

“Tom and I have been doing dance classes at RADA, and we've been learning a few dances like the waltz and the tango. Maybe you could practice with me sometime?” Ben asked eagerly. 

“Sure” Sophie answered, a little breathlessly, as her brain helpfully showed her a mental image of doing the tango with Ben. “So what do you like to do for fun, apart from dancing?” 

“I like to sing. So does Tom, sometimes we muck about at home singing stuff together.” 

“Amy and I sing together too” Sophie replied. “And she plays her guitar.” 

She noticed Tom was listening to her now, and smiled to herself. 

“Um, I have a motorbike, and I like going out to my parents' house in the country and riding around” Ben continued. 

“Oh! Do you keep it here, or at your parents?” 

“Here. It's handy for the odd jaunt.” 

Sophie finished her hot chocolate, and stood to take it back to the kitchen. 

“Need help cleaning up?” Ben offered. 

“Not really, it's just a few mugs” smiled Sophie, giving them a quick wash. 

Ben grabbed a nearby tea towel and wiped for her. 

“When we get to our flat, Ben and I will cook you ladies some breakfast” Tom piped up, unfolding his lanky frame from the armchair. “I don't know about you, but I'm starving.” 

“That sounds great!” Amy's voice sounded, as she entered the kitchen carrying a sports bag. 

She wore black yoga pants that hugged her thick legs, black converse with blue laces, and a bright blue t-shirt a shade lighter than her hair. On the front of the shirt was a fat pink unicorn with a rainbow mane. From her ears dangled little tiny silver unicorns, and her hair was pushed back from her face with a pink headband. 

“I'm all packed Sophie, are you?” 

“Ah not quite, give me a moment” Sophie dashed back into her bedroom. 

“I like your shirt” Tom said, smiling. 

“Thanks! I basically dress like my inner nine year old” Amy said cheerfully. “I like bright colours, and offending people on the train. If they frown, then I know I've done a good job of dressing myself.” 

Tom laughed. “If I was on your train, you'd make me smile.” 

Amy smiled back at him, noticing the book in his hand. 

“Nice choice! You can borrow it if you like.” 

“Really? Thanks so much.” 

“No worries.” 

Sophie came back out of the bedroom with a bag, and wearing her black coat. 

“I'm ready.” 

Amy grabbed her blue coat from the rack by the door as they left. Their luck held, it still wasn't raining, and they had a smooth ride on the tube to Tom and Ben's flat. Their home was a skinny town house. The bottom floor was a small area, intended for storage. There was a coat rack, a small table with mail and keys, and Ben's silver motorbike. Stairs led up to the living area and kitchen, a breakfast bar separating the two rooms. A door led from the kitchen into a small hallway that Amy assumed was the bedrooms and bathroom. 

The girls slumped back on the chocolate brown couch while the boys headed for the kitchen to cook them breakfast. 

“I'll have a quick shower now, if that's alright?” Ben asked Tom, who nodded, while getting eggs, bacon and mushrooms out of their fridge. 

The girls looked around the lounge room, Amy hopping up to check out the bookcases. There was an eclectic assortment of books, including a shelf dedicated to Shakespeare, and an extensive movie collection in the bookcase next to the TV. Tom had started cooking, and Amy hummed appreciatively as the bacon started to cook. 

“That smells great!” Amy called. “You cooking us a feast?” 

Tom laughed. “Just our usual fare after a night out dancing.” 

“Do you need any help?” Sophie asked. 

“No you just relax” Tom answered. “I do this most mornings!” 

Amy grabbed a book with a pictorial history of weapons to read, and sat back down. 

“This looks pretty cool.” 

Sophie checked out the bookshelf, and found a book on historical houses of Britain that looked interesting, and sat back down. The girls read their books, enjoying the quiet time. Ben came back from his shower, dressed in blue jeans and a biscuit coloured knitted jumper. Tom ducked into his bedroom and came back wearing a v-neck grey shirt and black jeans. Soon the boys called them to the breakfast, where they had plated a feast of bacon, scrambled eggs, mushrooms and hot buttered toast. 

“This is awesome!” Amy mumbled through a mouthful of egg. 

Tom took his place at the breakfast bar with them, soon joined by Ben. 

“Thanks for cooking all this, it's wonderful” Sophie said, digging into her mushrooms. 

The four ate in comfortable silence, broken by the occasional comment on the food, or Amy and Sophie discussing the books they had been reading with the boys. Amy and Sophie washed up while the boys packed their bags and soon they were all ready to go. 

“Um, Sophie?” Ben said uncertainly. “Would you like to ride my bike back to the house with me? It may be a little longer than the tube, but it would be fun.” 

Sophie smiled shyly. “Yes. If that's ok” she added, looking at Amy and Tom. “I know you said we should stay together...” 

Tom grinned. “Go ahead. We're on the home stretch now, we should be fine.” 

Amy nodded, giving Sophie a sly look as Ben ducked back into his room to fetch an extra helmet and protective jacket. 

“Oh I have a contraption at the back of the bike to hold a bit of luggage, if you like I can carry your bags for you” Ben added. 

They trooped downstairs and loaded the bike, Ben being careful to make sure the load was balanced. He started the bike and Sophie clambered on behind him, putting her arms around his waist. Amy laughed as he drove out of the front entrance. 

“Showing off a bit, isn't he?” 

Tom chuckled. “Ah, well I'm sure Sophie doesn't mind.” He shot her a challenging glance as he locked the door. “I don't know how I could top that, really.” 

“Oh I'm sure you could think of something, if you put that brilliant mind of yours to work” Amy shot back, eyeing him boldly. 

“I'll get back to you” Tom said, amused. 

He took Amy's hand, and together they walked back to the train station. He kept holding her hand the entire journey back, and Amy finally let herself believe that there was genuine interest there on his part. Of course, this now raised its own interesting set of problems. Amy had not had good experiences with romantic relationships in the past. She had perfected the role she generally played around guys, but this was something new. She was well aware that she was usually attracted to intelligent articulate guys, and past experiences had painfully proved to her that those charming guys usually came with a side of selfish manipulative behaviour. Amy let herself hope that Tom would turn out to be different. 

Tom and Amy exited the station and began the walk back to the library house. Tom showed no signs of relinquishing Amy's hand, and she was ok with that for now. 

“We need a better name for the library house. Cassie's house, the seer house?” 

“Base, HQ?” Tom suggested. 

Amy giggled, thinking of her childhood fascination with Power Rangers. “The Power Chamber?” 

They finally reached the run down park. No sign of Ben and Sophie yet. No other people either. It seemed that this part of the street was always deserted. Amy wondered idly if that was an effect of Cassie's protection spells. Tom and Amy were feeling eager to start the weekend of training and learning about their powers. Seeing the house in sight, they both relaxed. That was when they struck.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (The team sees a bit more action than they'd like, considering they've had no training yet!)
> 
> She held up her hands, and imagined fire coming out of them. No, not imagined, she just thought it, expected it. I need fire, and it's coming out of my hands now. No room for doubt. She could feel it, the warmth gathering in her hands, pressing. A sharp pain, and then a small ball of fire was flickering in each palm. She saw Tom glance down, then concentrate on his hands. The creatures snarled, and two of them lunged for her.

 

Something moving caught Amy's eye, and that was what saved them. A flash of something dark, a rush of air...she didn't think, just reacted, ducking to the ground, pulling Tom down with her. The rush of air passed over her head, she heard a snarl, and several dark creatures suddenly stood between them and the house. 

Disgusting, was Amy's first thought, as she and Tom both rose to their feet. There were five of them. They were about half the height of Amy and Tom, crouched on four stumpy legs, brandishing arm-like appendages that ended in long dark claws. Their heads boasted a number of red eyes, which seemed to go all the way around. No ears or noses to be seen. Drool dropped to the ground as their large gaping mouths hung open, showing long black reptilian tongues. Their skin was grey and loose, the colour of a newly dead corpse, and they smelled like one too, a sickly sweet rotting smell hung around the creatures that was so strong that Amy felt sick to her stomach. There were symbols carved into their chests, and a pale green fluid leaked from the cuts. 

“Crap” Amy breathed. 

“Now would be a good time to figure out how to use our powers” Tom muttered, fighting the urge to step in front of Amy to protect her. They were a team. 

The creatures shifted, growling. Amy didn't think there was much time left before they attacked again. Her body was humming with adrenalin- or was it her powers? The humming was much stronger than before. She felt something surging through her veins, it felt warm and good. 

“Tom, think about your power” said Amy urgently. “Think about using it, hitting them with water or something. I think our powers are trying to help.” 

She held up her hands, and imagined fire coming out of them. No, not imagined, she just thought it, expected it. I need fire, and it's coming out of my hands now. No room for doubt. She could feel it, the warmth gathering in her hands, pressing. A sharp pain, and then a small ball of fire was flickering in each palm. She saw Tom glance down, then concentrate on his hands. The creatures snarled, and two of them lunged for her. 

Jumping backwards, Amy put her palms out and thought fiercely _“DIE!”_ the fire balls left her palm, each one hitting a face, scalding the eyes focused on her. The creatures keened, and stopped, shaking their heads and clawing at their faces. Amy felt it safe to glance at Tom, in time to see ribbons of water fly into the other three beasts, knocking them backwards. 

“It's not enough!” Tom snarled, frustrated. “I need to hurt them!” 

“You need something harder, I don't know if you could drown those things, wait Tom! You can make water, so make it hard- freeze it!” 

Tom shot her a crazy grin. “Yes!” 

He threw balls of water into the air, and they zoomed towards the beasts, turning into spears of ice as they flew. The creatures tried to dodge, one succeeded. One had an ice spear slam into its throat, making a wet thunking sound. Green fluid gushed out and the creature sank to the ground, its claws scrabbling at the spear, trying to dislodge it. The other got an ice spear through the head, obliterating it. It stopped moving. 

Amy turned her attention back to her two creatures, in time to notice a disturbing sight. The row of eyes across the front of their head was all blackened and weeping green fluid. But the row started to move, and Amy watched in disbelief as the creature's forehead rotated, bringing the undamaged back row of eyes to the front. They both charged Amy, who leapt back again, summoning two new fire balls and slamming them into the creature's faces, obliterating the last of their eyes. However she didn't quite move fast enough, and as the creatures took the hit, one lashed out and their claws scraped down Amy's leg, slicing through her pants and into skin. 

Amy screamed and collapsed to the ground, the pain was incredible, like a white-hot poker had scored down deep into her bone.

She couldn't concentrate to make more fireballs. Weakly, she lashed out with her good leg, kicking the beast back into the other one, giving her a bit more space. Blood was seeping down her leg. She pressed her hands into where the blood was coming from and nearly passed out from the pain. A pair of long legs blocked her view of the creatures as Tom moved in front of her. 

“Just hang on Amy, you'll be ok” 

Tom had only time for a quick glance at Amy's leg as he needed to keep his eyes on the creatures, but what he saw turned his face pale and his skin clammy. There was way too much blood. He needed to get her to the house. The creature he speared in the throat had managed to pull the ice spear out and got to its feet, joining the one who had dodged. The two creatures Amy had blackened could no longer see, but still seemed to sense the direction he was in. They were moving slower than before. Four against one were not great odds. 

* * * 

Throwing a singlet on over his boxers, Caleb had managed to finally stumble out of bed and into the kitchen. Jet lag sucked. He noticed Buffy sitting at the table, nursing a coffee. She was dressed, and seemed a lot more awake than him. She noticed him looking. 

“Seems that travelling across universes gives me jet lag. Universe lag? Anyway, there's more coffee on the counter.” 

“Thanks” Caleb mumbled. “Jet lag.” 

Buffy nodded. “I figured. I haven't seen Cassie around, not sure what's up with her. The others left a note in the library saying they were going home to get clothes and stuff. That was a while ago, so they should be back soon. Then we can make a start on training. Once Cassie shows up.” 

At that moment Cassie entered the kitchen, looking paler than usual. She winced at the light, and headed for the sink for a glass of water. 

“You ok?” Caleb asked. 

“Yes” Cassie said faintly, swaying a little. “Just a headache.” 

Suddenly Caleb felt a humming in his body, then a wave of nausea. He hit the kitchen floor, feeling like he was either going to vomit or pass out. Or both. 

“Caleb!” Buffy was beside him. “You ok?” 

“Not sure. I feel really sick, but..it doesn't feel like it belongs to me” Caleb muttered, confused. 

Cassie knelt on the other side of him, in her crumpled green dress. 

“Isolate the feeling, Caleb” she said urgently. “This may be your Earth power revealing itself. Imagine gathering your sickness into a ball and think it apart from your body. Where it does it want to go?” 

Caleb struggled to do as she asked, and the sickness seemed to respond. Suddenly he did feel apart from it, a part of his mind and body, but not of it, somehow. The nausea was a signal, something wasn't right, and it was touching the earth. 

“There is something wrong” he gasped. “Something bad is close.” 

There was something else. Pain. Not the earth's pain. 

“Someone is hurt!” 

The girls' eyes widened. Buffy was suddenly gone from his side. 

“You and the others are linked by blood and power” Cassie exclaimed. “One of you must be hurt!” 

Caleb stood quickly, feeling better now that he had the feelings isolated and under a sort of control. Buffy reappeared, carrying her scythe. 

“One of us is hurt” Caleb said as he rushed to the stairs. He needed to be outside. 

Buffy looked at Cassie, who was struggling to rise. 

“Don't wait for me, go!” 

Buffy nodded and ran for the stairs. Cassie stood, cursing the migraine that she woke with, after a night of little sleep, and painful visions. She knew she was supposed to stay out of danger, but she couldn't ignore the others when they needed her. There must be something she could do. Slowly, she headed for the stairs. 

* * * 

Sophie leant against Ben's back, arms gripping his waist tightly. She could feel his stomach muscles tightening under her hands as he took corners. This was way more fun than riding the train. Despite Ben's predictions, Sophie thought they were managing the London streets pretty fast. Bikes were way easier to manoeuvre than cars. The helmet fit her head firmly, shielding her from outside noise. It was like having her head wrapped in cotton wool. Really heavy cotton wool. Every now and again Ben would forget to slow down enough over the speed humps and their helmeted heads would clunk together. 

After a while, Sophie noticed that the humming in her body was getting stronger. She thought that it was just the adrenalin of motorbike riding initially, but it felt different. She started getting a bad feeling, like there was something wrong, somewhere. They finally pulled into the street with the old park and the library house at the end, and the wrong feeling shot up a few levels. Sophie smacked Ben's arm hard (she realised earlier that he wouldn't hear her trying to talk) and he pulled up to a stop, turned to face her and raised his visor. Sophie raised hers. 

“Something is very wrong!” Sophie yelled above the bike's engine. 

Ben nodded. “I can feel it too. Let's get to the house.” 

Sophie nodded, closing her visor, and they sped up the street. They both saw the scene at the same time- Amy lying on the ground bleeding, Tom facing off against three disgusting creatures. Ben hesitated, then brought the bike to a sudden stop. Quickly he tore off his helmet and helped Sophie with hers, they raced to where the others were, Sophie landing on her knees beside Amy. 

Amy looked up at her, her usually cheerful bright face creased with pain and deathly pale. 

“Don't let the things get too close” she warned Ben and Sophie. “Sharp claws, as you can see.” 

Tom started giving Ben a super quick lesson on using his power, but Sophie only had eyes for Amy. The humming had started to intensify in her hands, and she itched to lay them on Amy's leg. 

“When my hands get close, let go and we'll swap” she said firmly to Amy, who nodded weakly. 

Amy let go, and hissed as her bloody hands peeled away from her leg. Sophie quickly replaced her hands, noting clinically that the blood was seeping, not spurting- if they were lucky the slash hadn't punctured her femoral artery. She was somewhat surprised at how calm she was, all this blood and danger, shouldn't she be freaking out? No time for that, really. 

With her hands on Amy's bloody leg, she closed her eyes and thought hard. She could feel her hands humming, and they felt warm. Fiercely she imagined Amy's leg. Imagined the muscles and ligaments knitting back together, skin closing up, any germs burnt out. 

She opened her eyes to see her hands glowing, then Amy's leg was glowing. The girls gasped- Sophie, at the feeling of the wound knitting back together under her hands, Amy, at the sudden decrease in pain. Sophie released Amy's leg, and they both looked in wonderment at Amy's smooth unblemished skin, showing through the bloodstained torn material of her yoga pants. 

“So that's what your power does” Amy said. “That's amazing. And thank you!” 

Sophie grinned. “Don't mention it.” She went to stand, and nearly fell over as her head swam and stomach lurched. She crouched back down again, and Amy put out a concerned hand. 

“Are you okay?” 

Sophie shook her head. “I feel really weak, like I'm going to pass out.” 

“Hmm I'd say that's from the healing, wouldn't you? Just stay there and rest, we have your back.” 

Amy stood up behind the boys, and suddenly she was plunged back into the reality of their situation. The creatures were snarling again, as Ben knocked one back with puffs of air from his hands. Tom had pinned one to the ground with an ice spear- it growled and was currently trying to yank its foot free. The third one was charging towards them. 

Amy ducked around to Tom's right side for a clear shot, shooting a fireball into its legs, knocking it down. Tom glanced down at her leg and grinned in relief. 

“You're ok? I'm so glad.” 

He gave her hand a quick squeeze, which Amy returned. 

“Yeah, Sophie healed me. Her spirit power is pretty bad-ass. It took a lot out of her though, so we need to cover her.” 

Ben heard and looked behind at Sophie with a worried expression.

“Are you alright?” 

Sophie nodded. “I'm good. I just can't stand up at the moment.” She waved a hand. “Look at the creatures Ben, I'm fine. I'll let you know if any try to come from behind.” 

Ben turned reluctantly back around. 

“You know, these things are pretty stupid” Amy mused. “They don't seem to work together, and they haven't thought to outflank us.” 

“Stupid is good” Tom answered. “I'm happy with stupid.” 

They heard a shout, and saw Caleb and Buffy bursting out of the house's front door. 

“Oooh reinforcements. Excellent!” Ben said enthusiastically. 

Amy cupped her hands around her mouth. “Careful guys, their claws are sharp and they're fast!” 

“And they're stupid!” Tom yelled. 

Buffy surveyed the situation coolly, one hand holding the scythe, the other rose to grab Caleb's arm as he went to rush in. They were standing about a metre from the door, and the creatures hadn't yet noticed them.

“Woah hang on there buddy. Let's check out the situation first.” 

Caleb clenched his fists. “But someone's hurt, and I need to help!” 

His hands were humming and his skin was crawling. Those things standing there were wrong. They didn't belong here on his earth. 

“This is how it works, Caleb. Now, we have three creatures to take care of. One is pinned, the other two are mobile. Amy has blood all over her pants, but she's standing and seems fine, so I wouldn't worry about that. Now, you have the earth power, right? Go a bit closer to the pinned one and try to open a hole under him and bury him in the earth. I'll take care of the other two.” 

Amy was about to toss another fireball when she noticed that Buffy and Caleb were moving. Holding back, she waited. 

“Amy! Roast that one!” Buffy yelled, pointing at one of the two free creatures. “Tom, freeze that one!” she pointed at the one Tom had pinned down. “Ben, send this one up in the air!” 

Amy threw a fireball at the legs of the creature. It stopped, keening, and Buffy swung her scythe, knocking off its head. Tom sent a stream of fluid ice out of his hand, hitting the pinned creature and twining around its legs and arms, holding it immobile. Caleb stopped a short distance away, raised his hand, and the ground underneath the creature became quicksand, swallowing the beast, closed up and became hard again. Ben sent the last creature flying up into the air, and Buffy neatly sectioned it with her blade on its way down. 

Cassie finally made her way out the front door, where she paused and stared at the scene. Body parts littered the ground. Buffy was cleaning her scythe blade on the grass. Caleb was heading for the others. Sophie was on the ground, but appeared unhurt. Amy's trousers were ripped and bloodstained, but she was standing and seemed alright. 

Now that the adrenalin was wearing off, Amy felt exhausted and a bit woozy. She sat down next to Sophie. 

“How are you doing?” 

Sophie grimaced. “I'm fine, just feel weak. It's really annoying.” 

Ben and Tom, closely followed by Caleb, joined them on the ground. 

“Well that was- unexpected” Tom said faintly, stretching out his long legs next to Amy. 

“And disgusting” added Ben, still looking a little green. His face was splattered with green fluid. 

“Are you guys alright?” Caleb asked. “I felt that someone was hurt.” 

Amy raised a blood-stained hand.

“Yeah that was me. One of the creatures slashed my leg up pretty good. Sophie healed me though, with her spirit power. Very cool.” 

Sophie blushed. “Um, how did you know to come out of the house Caleb?” 

“Well I suddenly felt really sick, then I felt someone's pain. I think the first feeling was my earth sense, apparently when there's evil stuff on the earth near me I have a reaction. The second, Cassie said we're all linked now?” 

“Oh yeah, Ben and I felt like there was something really wrong when we got to this street, didn't we?” Sophie said, turning to Ben, who was sitting with his legs crossed beside her. 

He nodded. “That will come in useful, I guess?” 

“Yeah it's a pretty useful ability to have” Buffy seconded, joining them. Her scythe was clean. 

“Hey, you were amazing” Amy said to Buffy, who grinned. 

“I've been doing this for a long time, is all. You guys responded really well, considering we haven't even started training yet! Nice work figuring out how to use your powers.” 

“I feel like we've only touched the tip of the iceberg in that area” Tom commented. 

He turned to Amy, his fingers hovering over her leg. “May I see?” 

Amy nodded, trying to look casual. Tom gently ran his fingers down her ruined pant leg, feeling the healed skin. 

“Wow, that's just...I was so worried when you got hurt, so much blood! And now there's nothing there. How did you know what to do, Sophie?” 

“Much the same as you guys figured it out, I expect. My hands were all hummy, and I thought really hard about Amy's leg healing.” 

Cassie finally made it to the group.

“I'm glad you're all unhurt. I'm sorry I didn't make it out here as quickly as the others.” 

Buffy shook her head.

“Hey, you weren't well. Anyway, you're the seer girl, right? We're the fighters. You shouldn't be jumping into a fight, anyhow.” 

Cassie sighed. “Well, not technically, no.” 

“So what were those things?” asked Ben. 

“They are called Sarkogs. They're a low level demon” Cassie answered. “I'm not sure if they know our base is here, or whether they tracked you here while you were out in London this morning. The Order would have summoned them I expect, and sent them after your magical scent. Either way, we need to get back inside. You've all been using magic, which depletes your personal energy just as surely as physical activity does. You need to eat and rest.” 

Buffy turned to Caleb. “How tired are you? Do you think you could do the earth-swallowing trick to the bits of demon lying all over? We don't want to leave any evidence behind.” 

Caleb stood up. “Yeah, I can do that.” 

As they stood, Buffy glanced over at Ben's abandoned bike, still with all the bags strapped on the back. "Hey I'll bring that stuff inside for you" she offered. "You guys go and eat." She and Caleb headed off to the bodies.

“I'm going to strengthen the protection spells on the house” Cassie said. “See if I can extend them a little around the area near the house. I don't like that they got so close.” 

“Sophie, are you able to stand up yet?” Amy asked. “Once we get inside and eat you might feel better.” 

Sophie was looking pale. “I..I don't know if I could eat. I'd love a shower though.” She brushed her hair back with trembling hands. “I still feel like I'm going to pass out, I'm sorry.” 

Ben looked at her, concerned. “Look, if it's okay with you, I could carry you back to the house.” 

“Um, ok? If you don't mind...” 

“It's no trouble” Ben assured her, sliding a long arm under Sophie's legs and another around her back, lifting her with no apparent effort. 

Sophie let out a little squeak, and clutched around his neck. Ben grinned. 

“Hey, this way we both get to the bathrooms before the others!” he joked. “I really need a shower.” 

Sophie smiled, appreciating his attempt to put her at ease. Her whole body was shaking now, and she felt cold. She suspected a lot of it was shock, not just magic using effects. She was trying very hard not to freak out in front of the others. 

Amy and Tom stood up. Amy staggered as her head swam, and nearly toppled back over. Tom quickly wrapped his arms around her waist, bracing her against him. 

“Woah you alright there?” 

“Argh stupid body” Amy muttered. “I don't know why I'm so fainty and you guys aren't.” 

“My dear, you did a bunch of magic, helped me figure out how to use mine, then your leg was slashed open and you nearly bled to death” Tom pointed out, amused. “Then after Sophie healed you, you hopped up and did more magic. You're amazing.” 

“Such a sweet talker, aren't you?” Amy drawled, but her cheeks were pink, and she kept leaning on Tom, who chuckled. 

“I think Ben had the right idea.” 

Amy groaned. “Tom, I weigh twice as much as you. Not gonna happen.” 

“Rubbish. It's not about weight, it's about strength” Tom scoffed, swinging Amy into his arms with apparent ease. “See?” 

“Fine, just to the front door. Then you can just help me up the stairs, alright?” 

“Sure” Tom grinned. “Then we'll eat. I'm starving.” 

“Again?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may not believe me, but as I was writing the fight scene I suddenly realised that I'd given Tom Frost Giant powers. That was totally unplanned! You can blame my writer subconscious...


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “How is it you're not done in?” Amy complained, lying back on the ground. “You're like the aerobic instructor from hell.” She grinned, to show she wasn't serious. 
> 
> Buffy laughed. “Ah Slayer powers are useful for a lot of things. Helps me heal quickly, too.” 
> 
> Tom extended a hand, and Amy let him pull her to her feet. They headed for the stairs in a weary group. 
> 
> “I think it's time for a shower again, don't you?” Tom said. 
> 
> “I don't think we know each other that well yet” Amy joked, and over Tom's answering chuckle, she heard Ben snort in laughter behind her.

Sophie lay on the bed. She was clean, and mostly calm, after having a shaking and crying fit in the shower. The hot water finally warmed her up, and the shivering had stopped. She was now contemplating eating. Her stomach didn't rebel at the thought, which was a good sign. 

“ _Can I do this thing?”_ she thought to herself, recalling the battle. _“I just wanted to fall to pieces afterwards. Is that normal?”_  

“Serious thoughts?” Ben poked his head through the open doorway. 

Sophie jumped, and sat up. “Sorry what?” 

“Sorry I didn't mean to startle you.” 

Ben was fresh out of the shower too, his hair damp, and wearing a new blue shirt and pair of dark track-pants. He walked over to her bed, sitting down beside her. 

“I said, serious thoughts. You just looked lost in thought.” 

“Oh. Yes. I ah, I was thinking about the battle earlier.” 

Ben grimaced. “Aren't we all. You have no idea how many times I scrubbed myself before I felt clean. And I couldn't stop shivering for a while too. The shower helped.” 

“Oh!” Sophie burst out, surprised. “You mean you were scared too?” 

“Scared? More like terrified. Those creatures are probably going to haunt my dreams tonight” said Ben fervently. 

He glanced at Sophie knowingly. “You're not the only one who got scared Sophie. It's normal, I expect. I mean, when have we ever had to deal with demons before?” 

“I'm worried that I'll freak out during a fight instead of after, and let you guys down” Sophie murmured quietly. 

Ben smiled at her warmly. “You didn't this time, though. And neither did I. There's just as much chance as you that any of us will lose it. We just have to support each other, and look after each other, and we'll be fine. What would you do if I freaked out during a fight?” 

“Um, I'd try and get you to a safeish spot, and help you calm down, and expect the others would protect us while that happened” Sophie said instantly, feeling surprised at how she came up with that so fast. 

She realised that she trusted the others to have their backs. That was a good feeling. A comforting feeling. No matter what happened, they would all look after her. 

“There, you see? Even if it happened, you'd know what to do. And I'd do the same for you.” 

Sophie gave him a gentle nudge with her shoulder.

“You know, you're pretty good at this comforting stuff.” 

“I'll say!” came Amy's voice from the doorway. 

She and Tom were standing there, grinning. Amy had on a pair of black and white striped leggings, and a long mint-coloured tunic with a picture of a bright pink cupcake on the front. Tom was wearing a pair of dark grey sweat-pants and a green t-shirt. They came in and sat on Amy's bed, facing Sophie and Ben. 

“And let me second the idea of having all your backs in the case of any freak outs” Amy said. “You have no idea how long I spent scrubbing the blood off, trying not to think about how it felt having my leg slashed open.” She shuddered. 

“As do I” Tom agreed. 

“Is this a private party, or...” Caleb asked, hanging in their doorway a little shyly. 

“Of course not, come in!” Amy exclaimed, and Caleb joined them on Amy's bed. 

Sophie suddenly felt a little sorry for him. Here they were, all bonding and Caleb was left out. He must feel so strange, being a visitor here and not really knowing anyone. 

“Hey when we finish training today, we should all hang out” she said impulsively. “Watch a DVD or something?” 

“Great idea!” Amy agreed, and was echoed by Tom and Ben. 

Caleb smiled, his brown eyes lighting up. “Sure.” 

“Hey guys, Cassie and I restocked the fridge while you were showering. Time for food! Then Cassie wants to talk to you about your powers, then we'll do some weapon training!” Buffy said brightly, entering the room. 

They all headed into the kitchen, where Cassie was starting up the coffee-maker. She waved a hand at the fridge. 

“Help yourselves!” 

Amy opened the fridge and started handing stuff to the boys to put on the table. Eventually the table held a variety of cold meats, breads, fruit and cheeses. 

“Ok I'm done. Anything else needs to be cooked or chopped up, and I'm too hungry to wait for that” Amy announced. 

“I've got some instant soup heated up on the stove if you want something hot” Cassie added, pointing. 

They all sat down at the table, and there was silence for about ten minutes as everyone tucked into the food. Then small talk turned to discussing the fight with the demons, and their powers. 

“I wanted to congratulate you all” Cassie broke in, smiling warmly. “It's amazing that you all were able to access your powers without any prior practice, and then use them offensively so quickly. I think you are all going to be a great team.” 

“Thanks Cassie. To be honest, it just seemed natural to figure out the powers. They seemed to react to the danger, and want to be used” Amy explained, nursing her hot milo. 

“I wonder if it's because we are used to the idea of superheroes, and powers?” Tom mused. “This has all been a surprise, naturally, but the idea isn't unfamiliar. Our movies, tv shows and literature are all filled with examples. The original team would not have had such a concept in the collective subconscious.” 

“Interesting idea” Ben agreed. “You may have something there.” 

“Will using my healing power take so much out of me every time?” Sophie asked plaintively. “I hated being all useless.” 

“That was your first time healing, as you practice you will get better, and use less personal energy. Think of it as developing your magical muscle” Cassie explained. “As you build it up, you will get better. There will always be limits on what you can heal, you will have to learn to prioritise injuries, and know when to leave something to heal on its own. There are other abilities associated with spirit power, that you may acquire in time as you improve. For instance, sensing the auras of others and shielding others.” 

Sophie nodded thoughtfully. “I'd like to be able to shield people.” 

Cassie looked around at the others. “Are you all finished with lunch? Then follow me, and we will practise summoning and using our powers.” 

They all grabbed the cold things and put them back in the fridge, before following Cassie up the stairs. 

“We'll finally get to see what's up here” Amy whispered to Sophie, looking excited. 

The stairs brought them up to the third floor. More stairs led up to a door, Amy guessed it might be roof access. It was a large room, divided into two areas. The first area, that they were currently standing in, had a wooden springy floor and plain painted walls. Except for one wall, which was covered in full-length mirrors. 

“Looks like a gym” Ben commented. 

“A fighting gym!” Buffy beamed, eyeing the rack of weapons at one end of the rooms. Beside the weapon racks were two tall cabinets. 

The other area to their left was carpeted, and appeared to be a sitting area. There was a cosy u-shape of couches, a tv and a dvd player. Shelves either side of the tv held dvds and books. 

“Hey, there's our movie night!” Amy said happily, eyeing the dvds. 

Cassie smiled at her. “I tried to make this place a home for fun as well as study.” 

“Any good movies there?” asked Amy. 

Cassie looked embarrassed. “Actually, I don't know. I did some research, and I think I got popular ones, but I haven't ever watched one.” 

“You mean, never, like never ever?” Caleb asked curiously. 

Cassie looked away. “Well, growing up my grandmother didn't see the need for it. She didn't want my mind cluttered with such things, I think she said at the time.” 

Sophie bet that Cassie could remember exactly what her grandmother said and how she said it. 

“You'll have to join us for movie night then!”she said warmly. “After training.” 

Cassie looked surprised at the invitation, which Sophie found a little sad.

“I'd love to!” she answered. 

The next hour was spent practising their abilities, while Buffy watched. 

“I need to get a sense of what you can do, so I can direct you better in battle” she explained. 

Cassie was their coach. She used crystals to contain the training gym in a magical shield while they practised. It absorbed the power they were throwing around, which in turn powered the shielding. They all learnt to call up their powers quickly with a simple thought, and control them more easily. 

Cassie helped them improve at using their powers whilst being attacked, using Buffy as their attacker. She enclosed Buffy in a protective shield so they couldn't hurt her, and she did her best to punch, kick and keep them too distracted to retaliate. 

Amy could make large fireballs now, and Cassie gave her a silver lighter to practise controlling already existing fires. She learnt to call up fires of different temperatures. The blinding white fire was the hottest she could conjure, and took a lot of her personal energy. Cassie suggested saving it for only dire occasions. 

“Fire can be cleansing, when it comes to magic” Cassie explained. “Magical creatures are often vulnerable to it. If I had been there with you when you were attacked, I would have suggested burning their chests, for once you had obliterated those runes, they would no longer be under magical control and would have been far more vulnerable.” 

Amy nodded thoughtfully. “Good to know.” 

Tom learnt to manipulate the different states of his water power, turning it hard back to soft with a thought, making ice spears and showers of sharp shards. He found he had to be flexible and think quickly, as water was so adaptable and responsive. 

Ben practised moving objects using air, it was tricky to make it change direction as it meant changing the flow of air current. He wished he had been more into physics at school. After a while he began to be able to manipulate the air without over thinking it, sensing the right place to nudge the object to move it in the desired direction. He was practising with small objects, but Cassie assured him that the more he practised, the larger the object he could move. 

“A combination of adrenalin and the intense concentration that comes from fear helped you send the demon into the air” Cassie said. “Being able to do it in any circumstance or mood is what you're aiming for.” 

She had Tom and Ben practise for a time together, Tom using water and Ben using air to create a little tornado of water. 

Sophie's power was less concrete, and she found it frustrating. Healing was fine, she picked that up straight away which was fortunate, as it's not like she could practise it on anyone. Cassie had her sit still and concentrate on sensing people's auras, which was the frustrating part. Towards the end of the hour, Sophie thought she finally had it. Staring at Amy, she saw a faint flicker of purple light surrounding her body. She described it to Cassie who nodded, smiling. 

“That's it!” 

“Okay, so how is that helpful?” 

“Eventually you'll be able to see the auras of people from further away. Demon's auras will stand out as they look and feel unnatural, and you'll be able to help the others by being able to tell them how many demons they're about to encounter. Teamed up with Caleb's earth sense, and you will have quite a good warning system.” 

Caleb was sitting next to Sophie, experimenting with a tray of sand and some pot plants. He found that his earth powers included being able to manipulate living things connected to the earth, like plants. Sending his green earth power surging through the plant, he was able to make it grow and change, sending vines up into the air. He wondered if he could tangle up the demons with plants, surely it could slow them down? 

“Ok that's enough for now everyone, take a break!” Cassie announced. 

Buffy had disappeared earlier, and now came up the stairs with a tray of drinks and what looked like energy bars. She laid it on the coffee table in the sitting area, and the others joined her on the couches. 

“You need to rest and eat some of these” Cassie said, handing out the bars. “You've been using a lot of magic, now you need to replenish your personal energies. I keep boxes of these in the kitchen, make sure you pack some when you're out of the house. They will give you a quick boost if you've had to use some magic.” 

They all munched on the bars in companionable silence. Amy thought in normal circumstances she'd find the bars to be too sickly sweet to be enjoyable, but the magic practice had left her starving, and the bars were perfect. She looked around at the others. Sophie was watching Ben as she ate, and Amy smiled to herself as she noticed Ben looking back. Caleb looked deep in thought. Buffy had positioned herself on a couch with her back to the wall and a clear view of the rest of the room. Amy wondered if she thought about that, or if it had become automatic behaviour for Buffy. Cassie sipped slowly from her mug, eyes far away. She looked tired. 

A knee nudged Amy, and she turned to smile at Tom, who was sitting next to her. 

“Penny for your thoughts” Tom said, smiling. 

“Huh? Oh nothing really. Just thinking about our team” Amy responded. 

“It's been an amazing weekend so far, hasn't it? Your fireballs were impressive, by the way. Did you see Ben and I combining our powers earlier? I was thinking we could try combining our powers.” 

“Fire and water? That would make...steam, or fog?” 

Tom nodded eagerly. “Yes! We could use it to hide us, obscure the demon's view of us, perhaps?” 

“That could work. Or we could make the bathrooms easy to clean” Amy added, snickering. 

Tom laughed, and Amy tried not to pay too much attention to the way his eyes lit up and his mouth curved. She loved making him laugh. 

“Hey, when our training is done, before movie night, would you have time to run through some lines with me?” Tom asked, looking hopeful. “I need to learn some more before rehearsals this week.” 

“Sure!” Amy answered, surprised but pleased. “I'd love to.” 

“Okay” Buffy said, drawing everyone's attention. “We're going to do some basic combat training now, so if you guys are ready, join me back over in the gym area?” 

Cassie rose. “You won't need me for that, so I'll join you all later.” 

“Don't forget movie night!” Amy reminded her. 

The others decided to have their bathroom break now, and finally were all assembled in front of Buffy in the gym. 

“Before we start, can I get an idea of what experience you all have with fighting? Having none is fine, by the way.” 

Amy started. “Well I did a few years of Taekwondo back in Australia, so I guess you'd say I'm familiar with punching and kicking.” 

“I don't really have any experience” Sophie said softly. 

“Not with fighting, but you're a great dancer Sophie” Amy pointed out. 

Buffy nodded. “Dancing helps Sophie, for sure.” 

“Ben and I are both training in stage combat and sword fighting at RADA” Tom offered. 

Caleb spoke up. “Nothing formal, but I can defend myself. Enough kids try to beat you up, you learn.” 

“That happen a lot?” Ben inquired, looking concerned. 

Caleb shrugged. “Not so much now, since I'm not at school or living with my foster family.” 

“That sounds not fun” Amy said sympathetically. 

“It's better than it was. My last family only wanted me for the money, but they didn't hurt me, so it wasn't too bad. I've met my birth mum now, and she's nice.” 

“We don't really know that much about each other yet, do we?” Amy mused. She smiled at Caleb. “We'll have to chat more at movie night.” 

“Agreed! But right now, let's do some stretches guys. Need to warm up first.” Buffy said, demonstrating. 

The others followed suit, and they then spent some time on basic punches and kicks. 

“You need to practise these every day, so they become muscle memory” Buffy explained. 

She got Ben and Tom to spar together, observing the techniques they had picked up from theatre classes, and adjusting them to be more useful to real life combat. Buffy sparred with Amy and had Caleb and Sophie practise punches, kicks and blocks on each other. She taught everyone how to fall properly to minimise injury. 

At the end of the hour everyone was soaked with sweat, shaky and exhausted. But content. 

“Well done guys, that was a great first effort” Buffy praised them. “Make sure you stretch, and practise the punches, kicks and blocks every day.” She looked sweaty, but still energetic. 

“How is it you're not done in?” Amy complained, lying back on the ground. “You're like the aerobic instructor from hell.” She grinned, to show she wasn't serious. 

Buffy laughed. “Ah Slayer powers are useful for a lot of things. Helps me heal quickly, too.” 

Tom extended a hand, and Amy let him pull her to her feet. They headed for the stairs in a weary group. 

“I think it's time for a shower again, don't you?” Tom said. 

“I don't think we know each other that well yet” Amy joked, and over Tom's answering chuckle, she heard Ben snort in laughter behind her.

All three boys and girls made it through the showers at a quick pace. It was late afternoon now, the sun beginning to sink. Cassie had started a pasta sauce in the kitchen for dinner, with Sophie and Ben helping her to chop vegetables. Buffy had asked Cassie where the seer's records were of the cult and its history. She and Caleb were in the library, researching information, which Caleb then collated on his laptop. Amy was back in the gym with Tom, helping him practise his lines. Tom said he memorised better on the move, so he paced about the floor as he read, Amy following. 

“We can stop for now” Tom said, as they finished a scene. “Thanks for that, you make a good Ophelia.” 

Amy smiled. “I always felt sorry for her in the play. We studied Hamlet in drama at high school. I remember we all had to memorise one of Hamlet's soliloquies and perform them in front of the class.” 

“Which one did you choose?” Tom asked curiously. “To be or not to be?” 

Amy shook her head. “No, that was the obvious choice. 'O, that this too too solid flesh would melt' one.” She laughed. “I can still remember it.” 

“Amazing how much our brain can hold” Tom said, grinning. “There is an awful lot of Shakespeare living in my head.” 

“I'll bet. Does Ben have lines to learn too?” 

“Yes, he's playing Horatio, he'll be brilliant.” 

“Nice. I'm sure Sophie would be happy to help him run lines” Amy said, smirking. 

“Ben will be happy to hear that” Tom said with a straight face, eyes twinkling. 

Amy looked serious. “Look Tom, is Ben a good guy? I mean he seems to be, but I don't want Sophie getting hurt unnecessarily.” 

Tom moved closer and put a comforting hand on Amy's arm.

“He absolutely is. You can trust him. I know I have a biased opinion, but he's always been an absolute gentleman to any lady I know.” 

Amy nodded. “Thanks. I guess I'm a bit protective.” 

Tom smiled. “I think it's sweet. I feel like that with my sisters.” 

“I'm the oldest, so I don't really have that dynamic I guess.” 

“Ah. Always looking after others, but not being looked after?” 

Amy shrugged. “I guess.” 

Tom slung an arm around her and gave her a gentle squeeze. 

“I suspect we're all going to look after each other in this team of ours” he said. 

Amy smiled. “Yeah.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry rose from the couch and stretched, briefly drawing the attention of everyone in the room.
> 
> “If you have no further plans tonight, might I have a look at the information you have been collecting on the Order, Caleb?” 
> 
> Caleb nodded. “Come to the library and I'll show you what I have. Uh, I mean, on my laptop.” 
> 
> His cheeks heated under Henry's amused gaze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's just a short chapter, but I thought it was in a good spot to end. Pretty weapons coming up in the next chapter!

The rich smell of tomatoes and spices wafted upstairs, and Amy sniffed appreciatively. 

“Smells like dinner is coming along.” She cast an eye over at the sitting room. “You know, we should look for some movies for tonight.” 

They made their way over and knelt in front of the shelves on either side of the tv. 

“In my experience, the more people, the harder it is to decide on a movie” Amy commented. 

“Why don't we pick out a selection and have everyone choose from them?” Tom suggested. “If that's amenable to the others.” 

“Good idea.” Amy pulled out a dvd. “Can't go past Ferris Bueller.” 

Tom grinned, pulling out his choice. “Nice. I vote for Underworld. I want to see Henry's face.” 

Amy snickered. “Hey, why don't we let the others pick one each as well?” 

“Sounds good.” 

They left the dvds on the coffee table and made their way downstairs to the kitchen, in time to help Ben and Sophie expand and set the table. 

Everyone sat down to dinner, Caleb and Buffy returning from the library. The day had turned to night, moonlight now streaming through the kitchen window. Conversation turned to work, and figuring out when they could come back to the house for practice. At Amy's suggestion of giving the house a name, the team finally decided on HQ. 

“We need to get you two phones” Amy said, looking at Caleb and Buffy. 

“That won't be a problem” Cassie said. “If Caleb and Buffy let me know what they want, I'll arrange to have it delivered." 

“I feel like I should be able to pay my own way...” Caleb began uncertainly. 

“Nonsense. You are risking your life to help us, the least I can do is make sure you are comfortable” Cassie argued. “The Seers have been around a long time, and money is not an issue.” 

“Think of it as being paid for your expertise” Tom suggested, and Buffy nodded. 

“That's how I see it.” 

Caleb shrugged, still looking uncomfortable. “Ok.” 

“Good evening” came an unknown voice, and suddenly Henry was standing in the kitchen. 

Everyone jumped. 

“How have you all fared in my absence?” he asked. 

“We have a bit to catch you up on” Ben said. He looked down at his bowl of pasta. “Um..do you..want dinner? Do you eat?” 

Henry chuckled. “Thank you, but I've already had a bite to eat before I arrived.” 

Buffy snorted. “I bet you did.” 

Henry smiled, and leant elegantly against the kitchen cupboard, observing quietly as the others finished up their dinner, rinsed and stacked the plates in the dishwasher. 

“Why don't we go upstairs, fill Henry in on what's happened, and then have movie night?” Amy suggested. 

The others agreed, and they all headed upstairs to the sitting area. Amy and Tom filled Henry in while the others chose a movie. Cassie declined to choose, since she knew nothing about movies. Sophie chose Love Actually, Buffy grabbed 10 Things I Hate About You, Ben considered for a while before selecting V for Vendetta, and Caleb chose X-Men. 

Amy and Tom finished debriefing Henry, and turned their attention to the coffee table of dvds. 

“Ok, so this is what I think we should do” Amy said, taking each dvd chosen out of its case, and placing it shiny side up on the table. “You all shut your eyes, I'll move these around, then someone picks one. That will be our movie for tonight. You like?” 

“Sounds good!” Tom said, and the others nodded their agreement. 

Amy asked Cassie to choose, and she selected X-Men. 

“Nice!” Amy and Caleb said, then grinned at each other. 

Henry looked amused. “I believe this is the first time I've been invited to a movie night” he admitted. 

“Ooh hang on we need snacks!” Buffy said, popping back downstairs. 

She came back with a tray of soft drinks, sweets and crisps. 

“When Cassie and I restocked the kitchen I made sure we had essentials” she explained, seeing Amy looking at the tray curiously. 

They all settled back on the couches. Amy, Tom and Henry sat together, taking the couch directly facing the tv. Ben and Sophie and Cassie claimed one, Caleb and Buffy the other. Sophie noticed that Cassie still looked a little awkward and stiff, as if she wasn't sure what she was doing there. She passed Cassie the lollies, and tried to include her in the eventual conversations that popped up during the movie. 

As the movie drew to a close, Sophie thought that X-Men had been a lucky choice. It was light and entertaining, but provided a few ideas to chat about afterwards, as they discussed the parallels between the mutants and their own powers. She drew Cassie into the discussion and watched satisfied, as Cassie started to relax and even laughed a few times. Henry had looked both amused and delighted, commenting on the creativity of humans. Sophie thought he enjoyed being included in their social plans more than he let on. She supposed that the chance to relax and hang out with people that knew his secret did not come along often. 

Sophie had been both delighted and nervous at sitting next to Ben. It was like a real date, sitting and watching a movie together. She kept shooting Ben little glances. Sometimes she found he was looking at her too, and he smiled every time that happened. As the movie progressed, she found he moved a little closer. Sophie wished she was brave enough to take his hand, but wasn't willing to risk it. What if he was just being nice? 

She saw that Tom had put an arm around Amy at some point during the movie, and now that the movie was over they showed no signs of moving. Amy caught her eye and gave her a sleepy smile. Caleb and Buffy were now discussing what movie and tv shows existed in their universe and Buffy's universe, and whether there were any differences. 

Cassie stood and started tidying up the table.

“Tomorrow, we will start our practice with weapons” she announced. “I know most of you have jobs to get back on Monday, so I'm hoping we can get the last of your initial training finished tomorrow.” 

“Oooh weapons? What sort?” Ben asked, sounding interested. 

Cassie smiled. “You'll find out tomorrow.” 

Henry rose from the couch and stretched, briefly drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

“If you have no further plans tonight, might I have a look at the information you have been collecting on the Order, Caleb?” 

Caleb nodded. “Come to the library and I'll show you what I have. Uh, I mean, on my laptop.” 

His cheeks heated under Henry's amused gaze. 

“Lead on.” 

The two rose and headed for the stairs, closely followed by Cassie carrying the tray of glasses to the kitchen. Buffy yawned and stood up, brushing her blonde hair out of her face. 

“I'm calling it a night. See you guys tomorrow.” 

Ben stood up and extended a hand to Sophie, helping her up. Sophie glanced over at Amy, who seemed to have fallen asleep on Tom. He still had his arm around her, and was trying to peek at her face. 

“Is she asleep?” he whispered to Sophie, who nodded. 

Tom gave Amy's shoulder a gentle shake, which elicited no response. 

“I think she's out for the night” Sophie whispered. “She has so much energy during the day, and when it runs out she does this. I guess I could get a wet washer or something...” 

Tom shook his head. “No no, that would be mean.” He leaned closer to Amy and spoke softly in her ear. “Amy, are you awake? Do you want me to help you to bed?” 

Amy twitched a little, and her eyelids fluttered. “Mmm sure” she muttered sleepily. 

Gently Tom slipped an arm under her legs, and stood up, cradling Amy against his chest with the other arm. Sophie tried not to grin too hard, and looked forward to telling Amy how she got to bed in the morning. 

All four of them walked up the stairs to the kitchen, Sophie darting ahead of Tom and opening their bedroom door so he could lay Amy down on her bed. 

“Thanks Tom” Sophie said, easing Amy's shoes off and making her comfortable. 

Tom smiled, looking a little shy. “No problem.” 

“Good night Sophie” Ben said, smiling at her warmly. “Movie night was a great idea.” 

“Uh, thanks” Sophie stammered, smiling back. 

The boys left the room and Sophie got ready for bed. She wondered how weapon training would go tomorrow. She couldn't imagine using one, personally. Already this weekend felt so real, like they had all been doing this for ages. Going back to work on Monday seemed strange in comparison. Sophie switched off the light and lay under the covers, thinking. Finally her brain calmed down and she slipped into sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team gets pretty new weapons, and practises with them. We're almost at the end of the training weekend.

“He did what?!” 

“He carried you to bed” Sophie repeated, laughing. 

Amy flung herself back on her bed, groaning. “How embarrassing. Was I snoring? Please say I wasn't snoring. How on earth did he manage me and the stairs?” 

“You weren't snoring, you looked adorable. Tom is pretty strong, he didn't have any trouble. It was all very sweet and romantic.” 

“I wish I had been awake for it” Amy sighed. 

“So do you and Tom have a thing now?” Sophie asked curiously. “He definitely seems to like you.” 

“I think so” Amy said cautiously. “There's been interest expressed on both sides, for sure. We haven't come right out and said it yet.” 

“So no kissing?” 

“No. How about you?” 

“No! I'm not sure he's interested in that way yet, he's probably just being nice.” 

“Oh come on Sophie. He totally likes you. He pays special attention to you, that is different from how he treats me. Trust me.” 

Sophie shrugged. “Maybe.” 

Amy stood up and looked down at her crinkled clothes.

“Time for a shower.” 

She started moving over to her bag to fish out new clothes, and groaned.

“I think every muscle in my body hurts.” 

Sophie tried sitting up, yelped and lay back down.

“Me too!” 

She grabbed her phone from the bedside table and started scrolling. “You can have first shower.” 

Amy grabbed her things and walked painfully to the bathroom. She could smell something good from the kitchen, but she didn't feel up to seeing anyone just yet. A hot shower helped with her sore muscles, though she thought she'd have to do some stretching before attempting any training that day. 

Her outfit today consisted of a short dress in a galaxy print, the blues and purples of space matching nicely with her purple leggings. The dress fabric was stretchy and had a full skirt, so her movement would be unhindered during any training today. Amy loved bright colours and pretty dresses, but was loathe to sacrifice any of her comfort in wearing them. So far she hadn't needed to. 

Returning to her room she laced up her purple sneakers, pulled her blue hair out of her face with an embroidered hair clip that read 'fat babe' and headed for the kitchen. Tom, Ben and Caleb were in the kitchen, Ben and Caleb sitting at the table nursing mugs, Tom at the stove cooking bacon and eggs. They all looked up as Amy came in. 

“Good morning! How are you feeling?” Tom asked, his eyes bright with merriment. “You seemed pretty tired last night.” 

“Yes I'm told I have you to thank for getting me to bed” Amy answered, grinning back at him. “I have no idea how you managed those stairs.” 

“It wasn't so hard” Tom said. “Do you want breakfast? I'm cooking this morning.” 

“Sure! That smells pretty good.” 

“Take a seat, it won't be long.” 

Amy sat, smiling at Ben and Caleb.

“So, am I the only one sore this morning?” 

Caleb groaned. “No, I nearly fell out of bed trying to get up. I don't think my muscles have ever hurt this much.” 

Ben shrugged, looking sympathetic. “I was a bit sore, but feel fine now.” 

“After my morning run, all my pains had worked themselves out” Tom added, putting a plate of food before Amy, and handing her a glass of juice. “Here you are.” 

“I'll take over Tom, you sit and have breakfast” Ben suggested, standing up and taking the pan from Tom. He tipped the rest of the food onto a plate and handed it to Tom. “I'll cook some for Sophie.” 

Amy shot Tom and Caleb a knowing smile, and they both answered with some of their own. Caleb was wearing blue jeans and a cream jumper, his dark hair falling untidily around his face. He nursed his coffee as if hoping to draw up the energy through his hands. Tom ate quickly, somehow managing not to spill anything on his icy blue t-shirt, tucked into a pair of grey sweatpants. 

Sophie entered the kitchen, dressed simply in black yoga pants, black singlet and a red hoodie. Ben looked over at her and smiled. 

“Good morning! I have some breakfast here for you if you'd like it.” 

Sophie returned his smile shyly.

“That would be lovely.” 

She poured herself a glass of juice while Ben slid her bacon and eggs onto a plate. He grinned mischievously at Sophie as he handed her the plate. 

“Here you are, little Red Riding Hood” he teased. 

Sophie giggled softly, taking the plate and seating herself at the table. Ben refilled his mug with tea and sat down next to her. Amy stared hard at her plate and fought the urge to snicker at Sophie and Ben. She felt someone nudge her knee and looked up at Tom, who gave her a conspiratorial wink. Amy decided that she and Tom needed to get those two together before they killed everyone at the table with cuteness. 

“So where's Cassie and Buffy?” Amy asked, around a mouthful of bacon. 

“They went upstairs earlier” Ben said. “I suspect they're getting ready for our weapons training.” 

“I can't wait to see what we end up with” Amy said, looking excited. 

“I hope we can handle them all right” Sophie mused, looking uncertain. 

“That's what the training is for” Ben said reassuringly. “I'm sure we'll be fine.” 

They had all finished their breakfast when they heard Buffy's voice calling from upstairs.

“Time to start guys- come on up!” 

With a mixture of nervousness and excitement, the five proceeded up the stairs and filed into training gym. Cassie and Buffy were both standing there, dressed in leggings and singlet tops, blonde hair pulled back into sensible ponytails. One of the large cabinets against the wall was open, and inside they could see a variety of interesting weapons hanging on a rack. 

Cassie stepped forward and addressed them.

“The weapons I'm about to give to you are the original weapons the team used. Each is tied to your elemental power. When you wield them, they will connect to your power and increase your skill at using them. Learning how to use them offensively will be much easier for you than trying to learn a normal weapon.” 

Amy heard Sophie let out a relieved sigh, and shot her an encouraging smile. 

“Will our powers meld with them in any other way?” Tom asked curiously. 

Cassie nodded. “If you will it so, your weapons can use your elements to damage your opponent. For example, your weapon will deal cold damage to your enemies.” 

She turned to the cabinet, motioning Buffy to help her, and started handing out weapons to the team. 

To Tom she handed a long sword. It was a burnished silver with a simple crossguard. Dark blue wrappings crossed around the grip, ending with a blue stone set in the pommel. He took it and held it easily in two hands, looking pleased. 

“I use a similar sword at RADA when we practise stage fighting” he commented. 

Buffy handed Amy another sword. This one was shorter than Tom's, and had a flatter blade. The wrappings under the cross guard were dark red, with a red stone in the pommel. She held it in her hands, finding it interesting how the sword got lighter in her hand until it felt perfectly balanced. 

Cassie gave Caleb a quarterstaff. Dark green wrappings encircled the grip in the middle. The wood itself was dark brown, with carvings of vines wrapping their way from either side of the grip to the ends of the staff. Caleb hefted it cautiously, examining the carvings. 

“So I've got that guy in Robin Hood's weapon then?” he remarked, looking amused. 

Ben let out a snort as Buffy handed him his weapon.

“And I have Robin Hood's weapon, it seems.” 

In his hands was a recurve bow. The middle grip was a dark brown wood, with a lighter coloured wood making up the curves on either side, then a pinkish coloured wood on the ends. Buffy helped him strap a quiver of arrows across his back. Ben drew back an arrow, angling his arm and elbow to make a straight line from his shoulder to the bow. He was pleased that he remembered his archery lessons from private school, then grew surprised as the bow string gradually shortened until he had the perfect draw length. 

Sophie received a long dagger. The blade shone silver, with intricate etchings just above the hilt. The grip was made of a pale white bone, with more carvings wrapping around and ending in a rounded pommel. 

Cassie turned to the cabinet and pulled out a small wooden box. Opening it, she handed each of the four a plain large silver ring. 

“These rings are linked to your powers, and through it, your weapons. You'll feel a pinch when you put them on, similar to when you touched the crystal. The rings are used to summon and dismiss your weapons.” 

They all put the rings on, and the rings shrunk to fit their fingers. They each felt a small sting, the rings pulsed with their elemental colour, then turned silver again. 

“What do you mean about summoning and dismissing our weapons?” Amy asked. 

Cassie smiled. “Picture your sword in your mind, then imagine sending it away.” 

Amy shut her eyes and concentrated, and the sword disappeared from her hand. 

“Oh!” Amy exclaimed in surprise, while the others looked startled. “Where did it go?” 

“A pocket dimension” Cassie explained. “Now imagine calling it back.” 

Amy did so, and the sword reappeared. 

“That is awesome” Amy breathed. 

The others tried it, and were happy to see they had the same result. 

“That's going to make fighting so much easier” Buffy commented, looking envious. “You won't have to carry weapons around on the train or anything.” 

The rest of the morning was spent training. Buffy led everyone through stretches and had them practise their hand-to-hand moves that she taught them yesterday. Then she divided them up and spent her time moving from the roof level to the gym level, teaching and correcting techniques. Caleb, Ben and Tom were sent up to the roof level to practise. Ben had a target set up and was to practise shooting. Buffy took Tom and Caleb through some basic moves with their weapons and had them practise them. Sophie and Amy were on the gym level, practising some basic thrust, parry and block moves. Buffy took them through the main areas to attack on a human body. 

“Demons can be different, but aiming for the head or chest is usually a good move. Eyes and throat are vulnerable areas.” 

Thanks to their powers, all the young people were picking up weapon skills quickly. After a quick lunch, they went back to the gym and Cassie schooled them in using their powers with their weapons. 

Tom's sword became outlined with a blue glow, anything he hit took on cold damage. Ben was able to manipulate the air to send the arrows exactly where he wanted them. Amy's blade took on a red glow, and would burn what it touched. Cassie told Sophie that if she sent her spirit power into the dagger, and then cut someone, she would be able to draw out their life energy. Sophie felt a little sick at the idea. Caleb was able to make the carved vines on his staff come alive, and tangle up his opponent. 

Buffy then sat them down and chatted with them about battle tactics. 

“You need to learn to fight as a group. Me, Amy and Tom are your front line. Let us go in front and attack first. Caleb is your defence, behind Amy and Tom. Ben, you are our range specialist. Stand back from the fight if you can, keep a distance. Caleb, try not to let anyone get through to Ben. Sophie, you are our support specialist. You can heal us, and provide some protection with your shielding when you're up to mastering it. Your spirit dagger is just for defence. Stick with Ben in a fight. Caleb and Sophie are also our early warning system. Caleb, pay attention to any feelings of wrongness or sickness, as they will warn you of any demon activity. Sophie, pay attention to people's auras. We may be able to identify any demons before they attack us.” 

"What about Henry?" Tom asked.

"He's our wild card. I expect he'll zoom about doing his vampire thing. He's very strong and fast, so let him attack first and try to stay out of his way. He'll only be able to help us at night, though" Buffy answered.

She ended with another practise session of hand-to-hand, and sparring with weapons. Tom and Caleb sparred with each other, Sophie and Ben practised hand-to-hand on each other, Amy and Buffy fought, short sword against scythe. As they stretched again to finish up, the sky was darkening and everyone was sweaty and hungry. 

“Hey, why don't we go out for dinner tonight?” Amy suggested. “I'm feeling a bit stir-crazy.” 

“Sounds good to me” replied Tom. 

“I'll decline” said Cassie. “I want to do some more research in the library tonight.” 

“I wouldn't mind seeing some of London while I'm here” Buffy said, and Caleb nodded. 

“Me too.” 

“How about Thai?” Ben suggested. “I know a good cheap place.” 

“Sounds great” Sophie said. 

“I can ring Henry and leave a message to meet us there” Amy said, turning to Ben. “Where's this place?” 

They all hit the showers, and started getting ready.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a post of the weapon pics I used to help me choose weapons for the team:  
> http://bookbek.tumblr.com/post/73082551654/these-are-the-pics-i-used-to-help-me-figure-out


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sophie giggled suddenly. “I can just imagine what my family would think if they knew what I was doing.”
> 
> Amy laughed and mimed taking a phone call. “Hi Mum, I'm on a magical fighting team now. Yeah, we fight demons.”

Amy and Sophie peered into the mirror, putting the last touches on their hair. They had decided to dress up for dinner, having spent most of the weekend in gym clothes.

Amy's dress was fitted around the bust, with dark green lacing up the front. It hugged her waist then fanned out into a full circle skirt, ending at her knee. The fabric shone with green and blue as it moved and rippled in the light. Matching green tights and blue doc martin boots covered her legs. A brilliant opal pendant hung around her neck on a silver chain, with matching earrings. Amy carefully inserted the last silver comb into her hair, keeping it all off her neck expect for some blue tendrils around her face. She picked up her crimson lipstick from the dresser and started applying it.

Sophie was wearing a 50s style dress, deep red with small white polka dots. A thin layer of netting under the skirt part helped poof it out a little. Black heeled shoes matched the black belt around her waist. Her sheer black stockings had a seam running up the backs of her legs. A necklace of pearls adorned her neck, with matching earrings. Sophie had taken the time to straighten her hair, and had just finished pulling it up into a French braid. She gave her head a quick hairspray, and picked up a red lipstick that matched her dress.

“You guys look nice!”

Seeing Buffy reflected in their mirror, Amy turned around to check her out.

Buffy wore a full black velvet skirt, that fell to above her knee. Her short sleeved purple top fitted snugly to her top half. Buffy's blonde hair was pulled up into a loose bun, drawing attention to her necklace- a silver cross with a small purple stone set in the centre. Small matching stones hung from her ears. Black opaque tights and ankle boots matched her skirt. A long dark purple coat completed the ensemble.

“So do you!” Amy replied. “I'm surprised you thought to bring something dressy.”

Buffy grinned. “I always pack for any occasion.”

Amy raised an eyebrow at the black duffel bag she held in one hand.

“I never travel without weapons” Buffy explained.

Finished, both girls grabbed their coats. Amy's was deep green with blue embroidery along the hem, and flared out at the hips. Sophie's was black with a high collar. It had double-breasted buttons to the waist, then flared out into a full skirt which split at the bottom to reveal an underneath layer of creamy coloured ruffles. 

“I love pockets” Amy declared happily, packing her phone and wallet into the deep pockets of her coat. Sophie followed suit.

“The guys are waiting for us downstairs” Buffy said, and all three headed down to the library, after saying goodnight to Cassie and trying to convince her to come, which she smilingly declined.

“I don't think Cassie goes out much” Buffy commented as they trooped down the stairs. “She was pretty twitchy when we ducked out to get food on Saturday. It makes sense though, she's the girl with the visions and the ability to help us banish the demon guy.” She looked sombre. “I once knew another girl called Cassie. She had visions of her death, and there was nothing I could do to save her. I don't want that to happen to this Cassie.”

Amy and Sophie nodded. Cassie's vulnerability was something they hadn't considered much, but it made sense. They reached the bottom of the stairs and saw the boys waiting for them.

Caleb looked a little uncomfortable in his clothes. His chocolate brown hair looked freshly washed, and hung about his face in loose shiny waves. He wore a dark blue button down shirt tucked into pair of tight black jeans. A black blazer and boots completed the outfit. The blazer's sleeves looked a little long on him, and Amy suspected he may have borrowed it from one of the other boys.

She smiled encouragingly at him and turned her eyes to Tom. His long legs were clothed in a pair of tightly fitted black dress pants, with shiny black dress shoes to match. His collared shirt was white, fitted so snugly that the middle buttons strained just a little. A deep blue blazer brought out the blue in his eyes tonight, instead of the green. He ran a hand through his blonde curls, and smiled warmly at Amy as she approached.

“You look absolutely gorgeous.”

“You look pretty handsome yourself there” Amy replied, reminding herself to check out the back view when she had the chance. Those pants...

Ben was staring at Sophie like he'd forgotten how to speak. He was dressed in a creamy white collared shirt, tucked into well-fitted black trousers. His black suit jacket was open at the top, further emphasising his throat and the pale creamy skin showing at the v of his open necked shirt. The curling ends of his short dark hair were adorably mussed. Ben gave up attempting to say something and offered Sophie his arm, trying to say with his eyes what his mouth couldn't. 

The group headed out the door and made for the station. Cassie had already organised oyster cards for Caleb and Buffy, so there were no issues catching the tube to their destination, a Thai restaurant called Coconut Lime. Amy gave her name to the waitress, who led them to a large table at the back of the restaurant. Henry was already waiting at their table, wearing a red silk shirt so dark that it was almost black. His long black coat hung over the back of his chair. He rose at their approach, smiling warmly at the group as they took their places at the table. 

“You're all looking lovely this evening” Henry said, looking at everyone's outfits. 

Amy grinned. “We got sick of wearing workout clothes.”

She told Henry about their day of weapons training while the others perused menus. The waitress came back to their table and took everyone's orders, except Henry. He smiled and flirted with the waitress and ordered a glass of wine. 

“This is nice” Tom said, leaning back in his chair and stretching out his long legs.

Buffy nodded. “I don't get to do this much.”

“What do you do, then?” Amy asked curiously.

“At the moment, training and organising. There are women all over my world that suddenly have the powers of a slayer, and no idea what's going on. Plus there's many organisations that would like to be rid of me, so we're looking into that. Not much time for socialising.”

“That must be lonely sometimes” Ben said thoughtfully. “Do you have friends, family?”

“I have friends that are my family. And a little sister that does her best to annoy me. My Mum died, and I don't care where my father is.”

There was an awkward silence. Tom shifted in his chair, and looked at Buffy.

“My parents are divorced” Tom said softly. “They went through it while I was at boarding school. I was glad to be away so I didn't have to hear them fight. We're well past that now, thankfully.”

Amy looked sympathetic and gave Tom's knee a little nudge. She searched around for a change of subject.

“Henry, what were the original team like? You met them, right?”

Ben and Tom sat up, looking interested. Caleb and Sophie watched Henry expectantly. Buffy put down her glass of water and waited.

Henry looked surprised. “I suppose I did. I only met them close to the final battle with Akuzaal however. We didn't socialise. There were no women on the original team. The men were minor nobles and upper class. I didn't know them well. They were uncomfortable with the idea of working with a vampire.” He grinned. “I can say that they were no better than all of you, and definitely more boring.”

Amy laughed. “Glad to hear it.” 

“Is there anything the original team did that we can learn from?” asked Buffy. 

Henry shook his head. “They didn't tell me anything about their training.”

“What about where to find the Order?”

“They didn't disclose that information to me. I received instructions on where I needed to be to fight, and not much else. If it helps, the Order's headquarters was found to be in an abandoned monastery the first time, but I don't think they would go there again.”

“Cassie would have told us” Caleb added. “It would be in the notes of the seers that I've started adding to our database.”

“Anything useful that you've found so far?” Ben inquired.

Caleb shook his head. “Not yet. Mostly stuff we already know. Details of the magical objects that were used in the demon summoning, notes on where they were hidden. Reports of the seers being killed and the magical items stolen. I guess that told the seers that the Order were ready to try and summon Akuzaal again. Cassie did her magical calling thing not long after that.”

Sophie spoke up, looking thoughtful. “Is there a way to track those magical objects? Surely they'd be kept at the Order's headquarters, ready to summon the demon?”

Buffy looked excited. “That's a great idea. We should ask Cassie.”

Amy pulled out her phone and dialled.  
“Cassie? Yeah we're good, we just had a thought. Did you ever try tracking the magical objects that were stolen? Mmm. Oh, okay. Well just thought we'd check. Okay, bye.”

Amy looked at the others. “Cassie said they had already tried, but mages in the Order must be shielding the objects, blocking any searches. She said it was a good thought though.”

Buffy shrugged. “Worth a shot.”

The others sank back into their chairs and sipped water. 

“You know, it feels surreal thinking that tomorrow we'll be back at RADA” Ben commented.

“And us back at work” Amy agreed. “I feel like we've been doing the magic fighting thing forever. Well except for my muscles, they don't agree.”

“I guess Buffy and I can continue with the research while you guys are working?” Caleb said tentatively.

“As long as you guys do the tourist thing too” Amy said mock sternly. “You shouldn't be stuck in HQ all the time. Have some fun!”

Buffy grinned. “If you insist.”

Sophie giggled suddenly. “I can just imagine what my family would think if they knew what I was doing.”

Amy laughed and mimed taking a phone call. “Hi Mum, I'm on a magical fighting team now. Yeah, we fight demons.”

The others laughed.

“My parents would ask if I have a new acting role, and then suggest I may be taking it a bit too seriously” Tom chuckled.

“Whereas my family wouldn't be fazed at all” Buffy said, smiling. “They'd all want to join in.”

“At times like these I'm glad I don't live with my parents” Ben said, looking amused.

Amy looked curiously at Caleb.  
“Didn't you say you lived with a ghost, when we first met you?” 

Caleb smiled. “Yeah. Believe me now, do you?”

Amy snickered. “I think we're past the sceptical phase.”

Caleb smirked. “I'd say so. Yeah, I live in a creepy house with an old lady clairvoyant, and a friend who died and now is a ghost. Still not the worst place I've lived.”

“Did all your foster families suck?” Amy asked, looking sad.

“Yeah, in different ways. My last family was probably the best. I camped out in the school heating ducts, and as long as they continued to get their pay check, they didn't care what I did or bother me.” He smiled fondly. “Until my then girlfriend heard of it, and made my foster mum share the money with me. She was amazing.”

“First girlfriend?” Buffy asked.

Caleb smiled sardonically. “First girlfriend, first friend, first person I didn't view as a mark. Not at first, though. I just thought she was another shallow rich girl. I was so wrong. She's the one who figured out that the uncle who gave me up was actually my Dad, and she helped us have a relationship. Now I'm on good terms with both my Mum and Dad, thanks to her.”

“She sounds like a remarkable person” Henry remarked quietly.

“She is. I'll always be grateful for meeting her.”

The waitress arrived with their meals, and the team tucked in.

“This is great” Amy mumbled around a mouthful of red curry. “Good choice Ben.”

“Thanks!”

As Buffy launched into a story of demon fighting back in her universe, Henry lounged back in his chair, pretending to sip his wine. He thought about the fact that he'd never had this many friends at one time, let alone friends who knew of his true state. It was a good feeling. Well he wasn't sure if he could count Buffy as a friend yet, she accepted him being part of the team, but he wasn't sure if she liked him. She definitely didn't trust him. Given her calling, he supposed that was to be expected. Caleb on the other hand, didn't want to like him or trust him, but he couldn't seem to help himself. It was amusing. 

He glanced at Caleb, who was sitting next to him, and discovered that he was being stared at. Caleb was gazing at his face with his dark eyes, looking thoughtful. Henry met his gaze and raised an inquiring eyebrow.

“Yes?”

Caleb flushed. “Nothing.”

“No, you were thinking very hard. What is it?”

“Fine. I was just thinking about how we have some things in common.”

Henry grinned. “Oh really?”

Caleb smirked back. “Yes, really. I admit, the vampire thing threw me off at first. But I've been slowly figuring you out. You aren't used to having many friends, especially friends that know what you are. You get lonely. You're used to being alone, it's easier of course, you can't get hurt that way. But you don't enjoy it, now that you know what it's like to be loved. Having us around is important to you.”

Henry was surprised, and that didn't happen to him very often. Caleb was far more interesting than he had first thought.

“We have that in common then” Henry stated quietly.

Caleb shrugged. “Yeah. Having friends is a recent experience for me.”

“I'd like you to consider me your friend as well, Caleb” Henry said, leaving off his usual flirty tone.

Caleb grinned. “I noticed. I'll consider your application and get back to you.”

Henry chuckled. This was going to be interesting.

They all finished their meals, and after paying, moved out into the night. They started walking along the darkened footpath, lit at intervals by the streetlights, content to walk slowly and enjoy each others company. Amy felt a light touch on her hand, and looked up to meet Tom's questioning gaze. She smiled and curled her fingers around Tom's. Tonight was going well. Everyone looked gorgeous in their finery. Suddenly, as they moved through a dark side street, she heard the theme from Mario coming from the pocket of her coat. Using her left hand (there was no way she was releasing Tom's hand, she fished it out.

“Hello?”

“It's Cassie!”

Cassie's voice sounded panicked. Amy looked around. Seeing no bystanders, she motioned to the others and put on speaker phone.

“What's the matter?”

“I've just had a vision” Cassie's voice was shaking. “Demons attack you out of nowhere and it's dark and you're wearing the clothes you have on right now!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mwahaha. Yes, I'm evil. If you're enjoying the story so far, I'd love to hear from you in the comments.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buffy swung her scythe. It bit into the demon's neck, spilling green blood. A few drops hit the back of her hand and she grimaced, wiping her hand on her skirt. 
> 
> “Their blood burns! No snacking Henry.” 
> 
> Henry rolled his eyes.
> 
> “I'll try to restrain myself. Snake demons are so tasty.”

Caleb groaned, feeling sick.

“I don't feel good, so I guess they're not far away?” 

“We have to go Cassie, thanks for the warning” Amy said hurriedly and she hung up, stashing the phone back in her coat. 

Buffy looked around at the street they were in. It was more of a thoroughfare than a street, intended for pedestrians, not for cars. Buildings on either side, with a large space down the middle. It would do. 

“Right” she began calmly, dropping her bag to the ground and unzipping it. “We're going to stay here, we're less likely to be seen by people, and there's only two ways for them to come in.” 

She fished a sword out of her bag and tossed it to Henry. Shrugging off her coat, she walked over to the wall of a building and dumped it there. Amy and Sophie followed suit. Buffy pulled out her scythe from the bag and dumped the bag with the coats. 

Suddenly the team heard hissing, and they turned to see a bunch of shadowy figures at one of the entrances to the street. 

“Ben and Sophie, use this fire escape to get on top of the building. Caleb, you stand here and defend. Tom and Amy, watch each other's backs, and take care of any demons that get past Henry and me.” 

Buffy glanced at Henry, who nodded, lifting his sword. Ben jumped up, caught hold of the fire escape ladder and pulled it down for Sophie, who kicked off her heels before clambering up. Once on the roof Ben nocked an arrow and waited, holding steady. Sophie gripped her dagger and concentrated on seeing auras. Caleb stood at the base of the ladder and concentrated, making his quarterstaff appear across his hands. 

Tom and Amy stood back to back, each holding their swords, waiting. Buffy and Henry started to advance on the figures. The hissing continued and the creatures moved into the dim light cast by the only streetlight. They were humanoid, with green iridescent scales. Their arms were longer than a normal humans, and had spikes running along each arm. Their eyes were yellow, with black slitted pupils. Their lipless mouths had snake-like tongues which stuck out, making the hissing sound. Their scent was dry and pungent. 

At the back of the group stood a nondescript, middle-aged man with a scruffy ginger beard in dark robes. He held a staff which sported a large crystal at the top, glowing white. 

Buffy swung her scythe. It bit into the closest demon's neck, spilling green blood. A few drops hit the back of her hand and she grimaced, wiping her hand on her skirt. 

“Their blood burns! No snacking Henry.” 

Henry rolled his eyes.

“I'll try to restrain myself. Snake demons are _so_ tasty.” 

He exploded into action, becoming a blur to human eyes. The snake demon nearest him suddenly lost its head and slumped to the ground. The man in robes glared at Henry, raised his staff, muttered something and fired a white light into Henry's chest. Henry froze, and one of the snake demons bit him, tearing through his coat sleeve and into his skin. A few seconds later and Henry was mobile again, but this time moving at human speed. His face was creased with pain. 

Buffy and Henry were doing their best, but some demons ran past them to engage Amy and Tom. Amy shot a fireball into the demon's face, then followed it up with her sword, which the demon blocked with one of the spikes on the back of his arm. Amy immediately saw the problem. The snake demons had longer than normal arms, and her sword was short. She decided to concentrate on chopping the arms down to size. That should eliminate their longer reach. 

She concentrated and called on her power, outlining her sword blade in fire. Grinning, she swung her flaming weapon and it sizzled as it connected with demon flesh. Tom called his power and his sword blade glowed icy blue. Amy and Tom continued to protect each other's backs, never letting the space between them grow large enough to allow a demon access. 

Up on the roof, Ben saw the man hit Henry with the white light, and loosed an arrow at the mage, using his air power to keep the arrow flying to its target. The arrow struck true, but bounced off. 

“He must be shielded somehow” Sophie commented, disappointed. 

The man looked up at the roof and spotted Ben with his bow. Lifting his staff, he shot a bolt of white light at Ben. Sophie saw it coming, and knew she had to concentrate. She stared at Ben's aura, which was a pulsing aqua blue light, trying to will it to solidify. The light bolt flew closer. Ben tried to move out of its way, but it only corrected its path. It hit Ben in the chest, and he fell to his knees, crying out in pain, yet still managing to hold onto his bow. Sophie suddenly felt scared and angry that someone would dare to hurt her Ben. She took that anger and fear and used it, willed Ben's aura to become solid. The aqua blue aura stopped flickering and pulled tight, reflecting the rest of the light bolt that she could see mingling with it. Keeping a fIrm hold on it, Sophie sank to her knees beside Ben. 

“Are you okay?” 

Ben nodded, and gave her a warm smile.

“Thank you. That was you, right?” 

Sophie nodded shyly.

“It was the first time I got it to work.” 

“Do you think you could keep it up? I need to keep harassing that guy. I may not be able to hurt him, but if I keep him distracted he can't keep using his spells on the others.” 

“Yes, I think so.” 

Ben squeezed her hand and stood up, nocking a new arrow.

“We make a good team.” 

Amy and Tom had two demons left. Headless snake demons littered the ground, and the pair were spotted with burns from the demon's blood. Tom swung his broadsword and shortened the demon's arm at the elbow. Green blood spurted and Tom backed away to avoid being burnt. His foot stepped on one of the headless bodies and he slipped, landing heavily on his back. The demon hissed and ran forward, swinging his other arm, angling the spikes to hit Tom in the face. He saw it coming and lifted his sword to try and block, knowing he wouldn't be in time. 

Suddenly a wooden staff moved into his line of vision, and Caleb was there, knocking the arm aside, and ramming the demon back. The carved vines on his staff came alive and swarmed the demon, pulling it to the ground and pinning it. Tom bounded to his feet, and quickly separated its head from its body. 

“Thanks” Tom panted, slightly out of breath. 

Caleb smiled back, as the vines shrank back into his staff, becoming wooden carvings again. They turned to look at Amy. She was grinning fiercely as she beheaded her demon, her blue hair a mess, and Tom thought he'd never seen someone more beautiful. 

They all ran towards Buffy and Henry, who were fighting the last two demons. Henry looked sick. He shook a little as he moved, and seemed slower than human speed now. The demon stepped inside his sword swing and slammed a spiked arm into Henry's chest. He crumpled to the ground, dropping his sword. 

“I'm out!” Ben called from the roof. He and Sophie headed for the fire escape. 

A fireball and a shower of ice shards hit the demon together from Tom and Amy's hands, knocking it back towards Buffy, who had finished dispatching her demon. Smoothly she turned and spun, whirling her scythe through the demon's neck. It hit the ground before her as Amy and Tom joined her side. Caleb stood himself in front of Henry's crumpled form, holding his quarterstaff before him in a defensive posture. 

The man in robes was the only one left. He snarled, raising his staff and beginning to mutter under his breath. Amy shot a fireball, it hit him and bounced off, but Tom's following ice ball the mage had to deflect using his staff. 

“Aw your shield all gone?” Buffy taunted, slowly advancing. “Whatever will you do?” 

“I take it you're from the Order?” Amy added, tone conversational. “You're not doing very well, are you?” 

“Akuzaal will eat your souls!” the man shrieked, taking something out of his robes and throwing it at them. 

Something smashed on the ground before them, and the area was flooded with thick yellow smoke. It stung and burned the team's eyes and throats, sending them to their knees in painful coughing fits. Slowly it cleared, and the mage was gone. 

Amy, Tom and Buffy slowly got to their feet and made their way to Henry, where Caleb was kneeling. He looked up at them, dark eyebrows drawn together in a frown. 

“There's something wrong with Henry” he said, worried. 

Ben and Sophie joined them, looking down at Henry. 

His eyes were closed, and his face was paler than normal, his soft pink lips now blue. A fine sheen of sweat covered his face and neck. Every now and again a whimper was torn from his throat as his body shuddered and shook. 

“The mage hit him with something at the start” Ben said. “Maybe it has hurt him?” 

Sophie fell to her knees beside Caleb.

“Help me get his coat off” she said briskly. With Caleb's help, they managed to pull Henry's arms out of his long black coat. 

Sophie spotted the mess on his forearm, and pulled up Henry's sleeve. 

“Oh!” she exclaimed, worried. 

There were a set of bite marks, and the skin around the bite was mottled black and green. Black veins traced up his arm and continued up to his neck. 

“I think he's been poisoned” said Caleb. 

Sophie put out her hands. She expected to feel her power humming inside her, an urge to place her hands on Henry and fix what was wrong. There was nothing. Sophie dropped her hands. 

“There's no connection!” she exclaimed, frustrated. “I can't heal him.” 

“Henry's undead, maybe your power only works on live people” Ben suggested. 

“In my universe, vampires can be healed by drinking blood” Buffy offered casually, though the knuckles that gripped her scythe were white with tension. 

Sophie paled. “Um...” 

“He can have mine” Caleb said, leaning over Henry's body and holding out his wrist against Henry's mouth. “Just don't kill me okay Henry?” 

Henry didn't open his eyes, but took in a shaky breath, and growled a little. Caleb drew in a sharp breath and his arm shook slightly, but he didn't move. Fangs sank into his wrist and he winced. A moment later Henry's tongue was pressed against his skin, licking slowly. Caleb felt a rush of pleasure sweep all the way down his body, and he shifted a little, feeling embarrassed. Henry brought his hands up to hold Caleb's wrist still. There was so much strength in those hands. Henry covered Caleb's wound with his mouth and started to suck his blood down. Caleb gasped, and started feeling dizzy. Part of him wanted Henry to keep drinking him down forever, he couldn't think of a better way to go. 

Suddenly Amy was there, holding her wrist above Caleb's and leaning over to speak firmly in Henry's ear. 

“Henry, that's enough. You need to stop, and feed from me. Caleb's had enough, you don't want to hurt him. Let him go.” 

She tugged firmly on Henry's arms. Henry's eyelids fluttered and he released Caleb's wrist, allowing him to move away. Amy quickly slid her wrist across Henry's mouth and grimaced as he grasped it, bit down and started to suck. Tom sat on the ground behind her. 

“Can I help?” 

Amy nodded. Tom wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her gently back to lean against him, causing Henry to inch a bit closer as he followed the pull of her wrist. 

Caleb moved away on shaky legs and sat down, feeling very confused. Buffy was near him, busy cleaning her scythe and the others' swords with a rag from her weapons bag. She looked at his red face and smiled at him reassuringly. 

“It's okay to feel what you're feeling at the moment. It was like that for me too” she said softly. 

Caleb was surprised. “I thought you slayed vampires?” 

Buffy's lips quirked. “Usually I do. Long story. He was my boyfriend. Not keen on ever doing it again, though. You were brave to help him, when you haven't known him very long.” 

Caleb shrugged. “He'd do the same for me.” 

Sophie approached him, kneeling down and lightly touching his bitten wrist. 

“May I?” 

Caleb nodded, and she closed her eyes to better concentrate. Her hands glowed, and the bite marks closed over. He also felt less dizzy. Sophie opened her eyes and released him, standing up and immediately swaying on her feet. Ben was suddenly there, pulling her against his body and supporting her weight with an arm against the small of her back. 

“That's enough” Ben said firmly, cupping the side of Sophie's face in his other hand. “You've been using your power the entire fight, now it's my turn to take care of you.” 

Sophie sighed and let her head rest against his chest, breathing in his scent. He smelled like sweat and spices and something else entirely masculine and uniquely Ben. She felt safe. Ben rested his chin on top of her head, breathing in the sweet fruity scent of her shampoo. He wrapped his arms around her and stroked her back comfortingly. Well, he hoped it was comforting. Having Sophie in his arms and pressed against his body set his heart pounding so loudly he was sure she could hear it. 

Feeling Tom pressed against her back while Henry sucked on her wrist was giving Amy a number of inappropriate feelings. She tried to put them out of her mind, and studied Henry. She thought he was starting to come back to himself. The black veins were slowly receding, then disappearing from his neck and arm. The green and black around the bite was fading away. Henry sat up, holding her wrist more gently. His eyelids fluttered and cracked open. Amy started feeling woozy. Henry noticed, and released her, licking his bite marks and healing them over. Tom readjusted his arm around her waist, lifting a hand up to tuck some blue hair behind her ear.

Henry smiled at Amy, who blushed.

“Thank you.” 

He looked over at Caleb, smiling warmly.

“And thank you. I'm sorry I had trouble stopping.” 

Caleb shrugged, trying not to look pleased. “It's fine.” 

Henry rose and pulled his coat back on. Buffy retrieved the coats, Sophie slipped on her shoes. Amy stood, with Tom's help, and shrugged on her coat. She pulled out her phone. 

“We'd better let Cassie know we're ok.” 

Amy dialled and held it to her ear.

“Cassie? Yeah we're fine.” 

“Is anyone hurt?” Cassie asked anxiously. 

“Henry was, but nothing a few blood donations couldn't fix.” 

She glanced around the street, noting all the headless bodies.

“Um, how do we get rid of all the demon bodies? I don't think Caleb is up to hiding it all.” 

Cassie sounded relieved. “Oh that's easy, I'll text you the number of the clean-up crew the seers have assigned to that area. They'll be there shortly.” 

Amy laughed. “A clean-up crew? You guys really do think of everything. Ok, we'll wait for them, and we'll tell you everything when we get home.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little debriefing/discussion after the fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter is a little short, but it ended naturally so I thought I'd give you this to tide you over. xx

Amy hissed.

“Sorry.”

Tom looked up from her knee, where he was swabbing her burns with water.  
“Want me to stop?”

“Nah it's fine. Just stings.”

Tom smiled.   
“I remember, from when you did mine.” 

Amy glanced across at the other couch in the library. Sophie was fast asleep, stretched out on the couch with her head in Ben's lap. Almost absent-mindedly, he stroked her hair. Caleb sprawled in the one of the armchairs, looking awkward, while Henry knelt before him. He was carefully swabbing the burns on Caleb's collarbone. 

“You don't have to do that” Caleb said uncomfortably.

“It's the least I could do” Henry said, smiling up at him.

Buffy was kneeling at the coffee table, sketching, while Cassie looked on.

“Is that the man you saw?”

Buffy handed Cassie the paper.  
“Yep. He seemed to be some kind of magic user guy. And he was on first name terms with our big bad demon.”

Cassie regarded the sketch, looking thoughtful.  
“It's interesting that they've sent a member of the Order after you already.” 

“Well, what's our time line for this summoning thing?” Amy broke in.

Tom finished washing her burns, and handed her a towel to pat herself dry. He sat down by her side on the couch.

“If they attempt a summoning on the same date as their last attempt, it will happen this Saturday.” Cassie said quietly.

“Oh! That fast?” Amy said, surprised.

“Will they keep to that date? What happens if they try it earlier?” Buffy inquired.

“They could possibly do it another time, but there's less chance of it being successful” Cassie admitted.

“In the research Buffy and I have been collecting, it shows that the Order are pretty hung up on traditions and rituals. It would make more sense for them to keep to the original date” Caleb offered. 

Henry finished his ministrations and sat in the armchair next to Caleb.

“Do we know where their headquarters is, or where the summoning will be attempted?” Henry asked.

Cassie sighed. “Not so far. The seers have been trying to track the Order for a long time, but without much success. I am the first seer to have clear visions of the demon summoning event. I am hoping that I will have a vision of where we must go.” 

“I have to destroy the magical objects with my scythe, right?” Buffy commented. “That stops the ritual?”

“Yes, though there is a spell I need to do first, and it requires everyone and their powers” Cassie replied.

Amy yawned.  
“Can we pick this up tomorrow night? Sophie and I have to start back at work tomorrow, so we need to get home.”

“Ben and I will accompany you” Tom said. “We have to get back to our house as well.”

“I will go with you too” Henry said. “Make sure you all reach your homes safely.” He looked at Caleb. “Unless you need me for something here?”

Caleb blushed. “Um no, we're good.”

“Okay then” Amy said, rising. “I'll go upstairs and get what we need from my room, you wake Sophie.”

Ben leaned over the sleeping Sophie in his lap, and lightly tapped her nose. Sophie's eyelashes fluttered, her nose crinkling. She looked sleepily up at Ben.

“Time to go home” Ben said gently, giving her a smile. “Tom, Henry and I are going with you.”

Everyone arrived at their homes without any attacks. Amy and Sophie fell into bed and went straight to sleep. Unbeknownst to the young people, Henry lingered around both their flats for a while, making sure there were no unwelcome visitors. As dawn approached, he headed home, feeling weary but almost happy.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team deals with going back to work, and events of the weekend start to catch up with them.

The girls' alarms went off at seven am, prompting groans as the girls stumbled out of bed.

“Ugh I'm so sick of feeling sore” Amy moaned, forcing her body through the stretches Buffy had shown them on the weekend.

Sophie mumbled in the affirmative, joining Amy for stretches, then staggering to the kitchen to make herself coffee. Amy jumped in the shower, donning her work clothes. Black tailored trousers, purple button up top with a silver and red embroidery of dragons climbing up and around the buttons, and a red blazer. On the blazer lapel she pinned some brooches: a small silver dragon, an iridescent peacock, and an owl wearing glasses. She started preparing her morning cereal and toast while Sophie took her turn in the shower. Amy had moved on to her toast when Sophie finished and entered the kitchen. She wore a white blouse with a soft red pussy bow, tucked into a red belt and a loose black skirt, which fell to her knee.

While Sophie finished her breakfast, Amy went over her lecture notes and timetable for the day. Thankfully Mondays were a light day for her, with only one lecture and tutorial to run, the rest of the day was office work, marking papers and research. The girls spent time in the bathroom, Amy making sure her blue hair covered the burn mark on her neck. Grabbing their coats (black for Sophie, purple for Amy), they headed off to the tube.

The train was busy with all the commuters this morning, but they managed to find two seats together. Amy wondered at all the people oblivious to what she had experienced on the weekend. Now that she knew about demons, magic and vampires, she felt that things should be different, somehow. How can the world be the same. It felt strange and mundane to be going back to work. Amy let out a sigh, and Sophie glanced over at her.

“What?”

“I don't know. It just feels strange, going back to the normal world. I don't feel normal any more.”

Sophie smiled sympathetically.  
“I know what you mean. But try and look at it this way, even superheroes need to pay the bills. And we can't all be millionaires with secret identities.”

Amy laughed.  
“Good point. I will try and reframe my thinking.”

The girls got off at their stop and walked up the street to the uni. Sophie headed for their office, Amy went to the lecture hall to make sure the digital projector was working before the students arrived. Their morning flowed pleasantly, and gradually Amy felt less strange, and settled into her day. Lunch rolled around, and the girls went outside to eat on the lawn for a change. Amy's phone made a TARDIS noise, and she picked it up. After a moment, she grinned.

“Tom texted me. He said he's still thinking of how beautiful I looked fighting demons last night.”

A moment later Sophie's phone chimed. She smiled as she read.

“It's Ben. He's says thinking of me, which is helping him through his day, and he's looking forward to seeing me again.”

Two more TARDIS noises rang out, and Sophie raised an eyebrow.  
“Again?”

Amy chuckled. “No, it's Caleb and Buffy. They have their new phones and they're sending me their new numbers.”

Sophie's phone chimed and she found that Caleb and Buffy had sent her the same message.

“They want us to head over there for some more training tonight.”

“Sounds good. I'll finish marking those assignments this afternoon and I should be free then.”

Lunch break over, they headed back to their office to work. Their office was large, with a number of desks and bookcases, shared by a number of the history staff. The Department Head got his own office. Amy liked sharing the office, it was fun chatting with the staff and exchanging notes on subjects and students. A couple of the staff were at their desks at the moment, the others were out. Amy took out the assignments from her latest class and started going through them. Sophie sat down and continued reading the journal articles one of the professors had sent to her.

A moment later a guy came in with an armful of papers. He looked around the girls' age, with short red hair, pale skin and freckles. His grey eyes looked confused.

“Sorry is this the history department?” he stammered, looking at the girls.

Amy smiled, putting down her papers. “Sure is. I'm Amy, you are?”

The guy smiled. “Nice to meet you. I'm Stephen, I work over in Political Science. I have some articles the professor thought you guys might appreciate.”

“How nice of Chris” Sophie murmured. “Thank you for bringing them over.”

Amy stood up and took the papers from his hand.  
“Thanks for taking the time to bring them over.”

Stephen grinned. “No problem. I like seeing other parts of campus. See you around.”

He ambled out, and one of the other staff whistled quietly.  
“Not bad. Maybe I should visit political science sometime...”

Amy chuckled. “Go on Lucy. Bring your own papers.”

Lucy giggled. “I'll keep you updated.”

The afternoon went by quickly, and by the time Amy had finished grading the final assignment, she looked out the window to see a dark sky. Her phone received a text, and she picked it up to check. Soon she was texting back, and Sophie came over to her desk, having finished her work.

“Who is it?”

“Henry” Amy answered, her fingers busy on the keys. “He and Caleb are coming to our office to escort us to HQ. Buffy is escorting Ben and Tom. Safety in numbers, I guess. I'm just sending him directions.”

The girls tidied up their desks, filed papers away, and had their coats on by the time Henry and Caleb appeared in their doorway. Henry smiled at them invitingly.

“How are you feeling tonight, ladies?”

Amy grinned as she took Henry's proffered arm.

“No demon attacks today, so that's a plus. How about you?”

“Well my day has just begun. I had an excellent dinner.”

Caleb rolled his eyes, but Sophie saw his lips twitch into a reluctant grin as he moved to her side. They continued to walk down the corridor, heading outside. The cool night air was refreshing. Amy noticed Henry almost strutting and giving off a “you're not good enough to even look at me” vibe. It had an interesting effect on the bystanders they passed, turning their faces away without them consciously thinking about it. Amy didn't get heckled once on the walk to the tube.

“Are you doing that on purpose?” Amy asked Henry admiringly.

He grinned. “Yes. Effective, no?”

“Doing what?” Caleb asked curiously. “I don't see anything.”

“Trust me, if you were a woman, you'd notice the difference” Amy answered. “Henry is deflecting unwanted attention from us right now.”

Caleb looked impressed, and Henry's smile broadened. Their unimpeded walk continued on the tube ride, and they entered HQ in high spirits. Immediately they smelled something good wafting from the kitchen, and they headed upstairs to find Buffy prepping salad while Ben pulled out a large dish of what looked lasagne, from the oven. He placed it on the dining table that Tom had just finished setting, and Cassie added serving utensils and drinks.

“That smells awesome” Amy declared, throwing her bag of books into her room and coming back to sit at the table.

“I'll just go wash up” Sophie said, smiling around at the others.

As soon as she left the room, the others gathered around Amy.

“Ok, so the party is a go for tomorrow night” Amy said quietly. “Just us, here at HQ. Some of Sophie's work friends are taking her out for a birthday lunch that day, and that's when I'll ring and make sure we're all organised. Report.”

Buffy smiled. “Food is bought, Cassie and Ben are cooking it. Tom and I have the decorations to hang. Henry is bringing you and Sophie here.”

Caleb added. “And I'm on music, which is sorted.”

“Fantastic guys.”

They heard Sophie's footsteps, and hurried to all sit down at the table. Dinner was pleasant. Ben received compliments on his lasagne, and Buffy praised them all at their vast improvement at training afterwards. After a satisfying session Sophie went to shower, and Amy lounged on her bed, considering which book to read. There was a quiet knock on the door, and Ben stuck his head in.

“Hi Amy, do you have a moment?”

Amy sat up, flashing Ben a smile as she saw how nervous he looked. He kept running his hand through his hair and tugging at his shirt.

“Sure. What's up?”

Ben sat down on the bed next to Amy, shifting nervously.

“Um. Well I ah, I need to...Look, you know I like Sophie.”

Amy grinned. “Yes, I had noticed.”

Ben huffed out a short breath. “Yes. Well. Um, well Sophie is your friend. She's important to you too, right? And you try to look after her. You and Sophie are like each other's family away from home, yes?”

Amy suddenly figured out where he was heading with this, and decided not to rescue him. She noticed with amusement that his face and neck were slowly turning pink. Hilarious.  
“Yes?”

“Well I like her. Sophie. And I'd like to um... get to know her better. Go out on dates. And I want to assure you that I have the best of intentions. I respect Sophie, and I think she's lovely, and I would never do anything to hurt her. So, I guess, what I'm asking, is for your blessing on the idea. Of me. And Sophie. I know you're important to each other, and I don't want to do anything to mess that up, or mess up the team.”

Amy tried her best not to laugh. Keeping a serious face, she looked Ben over, considering.

“Well first of all, I appreciate that you feel that way about Sophie. But you do realise that I'm not in charge of her love life, right? She has the right to choose her boyfriends without any input or permission from me. It's Sophie you should be talking to, not me. That said, I like you, and I'm totally cool with you dating Sophie. As long as you keep treating her with respect and admiration.”

Ben let out a huge sigh, and broke into a big grin.  
“Thank you. And you're right, about that. I just, I didn't want you to think that I don't care about your opinion of me. I do care, a lot. And I value your judgement as well as Sophie's. But yes, I will be talking to Sophie. At her party, if there's a suitable moment.”

“I hope you have a gift” Amy teased, eyes sparkling.

Ben smiled. “I do, and have had it ever since you let us know it was going to be her birthday.”

He leaned forward and gave Amy a hug and kiss on the cheek.  
“Thanks Amy.”

Amy chuckled. “You're welcome. Oh, and if you hurt her, I will beat you to death with a trowel.”

Ben looked at her. Amy smiled brightly.

“A vague disclaimer is nobody's friend!”

Ben left the room looking a little confused, and Amy took a little while to get her giggles under control before Sophie returned. They decided to spend the night at HQ and go to work from there. Amy had arranged for Buffy to pick up her party outfit from their flat tomorrow while they were at work, so Sophie wouldn't be warned. Sophie's party dress was a present from the rest of the team, that Amy helped them arrange. The girls got ready for bed and were soon drifting off to sleep.

_Blood. All over her legs. Over her face, suffocating. She could hear screaming. Was it her? Pain sliced through her legs, and she fell to the ground, shuddering. A demon face leered into hers, eyes red, mouth dripping black blood onto her face. It burned. She raised her hands and tried to call her sword. It didn't appear, and the demon grasped her wrists, pinning them to the ground. It growled into her face, showing its sharp black teeth. A forked tongue licked down the side of her face and she screamed again at the pain..._

Amy sat up with a smothered scream, feeling her face and legs frantically. The pain had been so intense, she could still remember how it felt. With shaking hands she pulled on her old red dressing gown and stuck her feet into her ugg boots. She glanced over at Sophie, who was whimpering, and tossing the blanket off her.

_Ben was dying. Her shield had failed, and now she had to watch him shudder and scream in agony. She tried to go to him, to put her healing hands on him and fix it, but clawed hands grabbed her and held her still. Trickles of blood ran down her arms, soaking through her dress, they dripped onto Ben's face as he writhed on the ground, whimpering and sobbing and gasping for breath. 'Please make it stop, please Sophie, help me...'_

“Sophie wake up!”

Sophie opened her eyes and gasped for breath, almost hyperventilating as she tried not to sob. Amy hugged her, as she reached behind Sophie to turn on her bedside light.

“It's okay, it was just a nightmare, it wasn't real.”

“Ben was, he was, I couldn't save him!”

“It's okay, Ben is okay. He and Tom are sleeping, they're safe. This house is safe, remember? Nothing bad can get in. You're awake, and everyone is okay.”

Sophie could feel Amy trembling through her clothes.  
“You had a nightmare too, didn't you. Are you alright?”

“Yeah. Pain and blood, and being helpless. I guess it's expected, the stuff we've had happen to us. I don't want to go back to bed yet. Why don't we go down to the library, see if there's any good books to read?”

Sophie nodded shakily, pulling on her white cotton robe.  
“Would you mind, could we just peek in the boy's room? Just to make sure they're there.”

Amy nodded, glancing at her bedside clock. It read 2am.  
“We'll just be real quiet, don't want to wake them.”

Quietly they padded up the hallway and opened Tom and Ben's door a crack. They could see two huddled shapes under the bedclothes. Both boys were breathing quietly, Ben was curled on his side facing the door, his dark eyelashes brushing his pale cheeks like wings as he slept, one hand tucked under his pillow, the other curled and resting against his chest. Sophie let out a quiet sigh and relaxed a little, trying to commit the picture to memory. They closed the door, and were about to head out to the kitchen when they heard loud whimpering.

They listened at the doors, it seemed to be coming from Caleb's room. They opened his door carefully and peeked in, Caleb was on top of his bedclothes in a pair of boxers, tossing and turning.

“Should we wake him?” Sophie whispered, feeling uncomfortable about sneaking into another room.

Amy wasn't sure, but then Caleb let out a sob, and gasped brokenly “Please no, don't, don't hurt them, stop" and she moved quickly to bed, giving his shoulder a gentle shake.

“I wouldn't want to sleep through the dream I was having.”

She turned on his bedside light, then shook his shoulder again. Caleb gasped, and sat bolt upright, opening his eyes.

Amy stepped back from the bed, and said in a quiet voice “You were having a bad dream Caleb. You're awake now, and you're with Amy and Sophie. You're awake and you're safe.”

Caleb ran a shaking hand through his hair, and turned to look at them.

“I'm awake? Are you sure?”

“Very sure. Sophie and I just had nightmares too. I'm sorry about coming into your room, but we heard you and I know I didn't want to sleep through one of those.”

Caleb smiled wanly. “No, thanks for waking me. I was dreaming about our demon fight, and worse case scenario happened. You both died, and Henry died, it was awful.”

“We were going to head down to the library for a bit, you want to come?” Sophie asked.

Caleb nodded, and pulled a green t-shirt on before padding downstairs with the girls. A light was on in the library, and as they descended the stairs, they spotted Henry on one of the couches. He was sprawled out, drawing in a large sketchbook. He looked up, hearing them.

“We couldn't sleep” Amy said, moving to sit on the couch opposite him. Sophie joined her, and Caleb plonked down next to Henry. “Nightmares.”

Henry looked up, concerned.  
“Are you alright?”

Amy shrugged. “Not sure how you define alright. I haven't had nightmares for ages.”

“Do vampires have nightmares?” Caleb asked Henry.

“Vampires do not dream” Henry said softly, putting down his pencil and granting Caleb his full attention. “But I remember dreaming when I was human.”

“What did you dream about?”

Henry smiled mischievously at Caleb. “I dreamt about beautiful women. Defeating my foes in battle. Making love. The usual sort of things 17 year old boys in court dream about.”

Caleb didn't know how to reply to that. Amy chortled. Caleb looked down at Henry's sketchbook.

“What are you working on?”

Henry held up the page to show him.  
“Just some preliminary sketches for my graphic novel.”

“You draw graphic novels?”

“Yes. I write and illustrate. If you want to see some, look up the Blood series under my name. Or you can come to my apartment and see my novels yourself.” Henry gave Caleb a wink. “I'll even sign some copies for you, if you like.”

Caleb laughed. “I just never expected you to...aren't vampires all rich guys?”

Henry smiled. “We may live a long time, but we can't see the future, and know which stock to buy. Besides, I enjoy working, it's quite creatively satisfying.” He stood, handing Caleb his sketchbook to hold. “Wait here, and I'll bring you all some hot chocolate. It should help you calm down and sleep.”

“That would be great Henry, thanks” Amy said gratefully.

As Henry proceeded up the stairs, Caleb started flipping through Henry's sketchbook.

“Wow. He's really good at this” Caleb commented.

“Surprised? He has a long time to practice, you know” Amy observed, grinning. She moved over to Caleb's couch to look at the sketchbook.

“Yeah I guess that's true.”

Sophie curled up on the couch, leaning into one of the arms. She was feeling sleepy again. Shortly Henry arrived with the hot drinks, handing them out to Caleb and Amy, who took Sophie's over to her while Henry regained his seat on the couch. He held out his hand for his sketchbook and Caleb returned it.

“That's pretty good” Caleb said as Henry opened it again.

“Thank you. Maybe I could sketch you sometime?” Henry asked.

“Um, sure. I guess.”

Caleb yawned as he finished off his hot chocolate. He leant against the arm of the couch, and that was the last thing he remembered. Suddenly it was morning. He was lying on the couch with a rug over him. The girls and Henry were gone. He sat up, blinking his eyes, and saw Henry's sketchbook lying on the floor next to him. It was open, and looking up at Caleb was a rough sketch of him asleep, his mouth slightly open, and his hand curled under his hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus points to those of you who can spot the lines from Buffy. ;-)


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Sophie's birthday! Presents, party and romance ensues.

Amy thought the day could not move more slowly. She had her phone on vibrate, and the others kept sending her messages about how their party prep was going. Cassie, Buffy and Caleb were hard at work, Ben and Tom planned to knock off early and Henry was due to show up at their building at nightfall. The only interesting things happening were the staff presenting Sophie with a birthday cake and taking her out for lunch, watching Lucy make up excuses to visit Stephen, and trying not to laugh at Stephen's flimsy excuses to visit their office.

Finally the day drew to a close, and Amy appeared at Sophie's desk with a wrapped parcel.

“Happy Birthday!” she grinned. “Thought I'd wait for the excitement to die down.”

Sophie smiled. “Thanks.”

She opened the layers of blue paper carefully, to reveal a shining pair of high-heeled strappy silver shoes. Sophie examined the heels and saw that they were proper ballroom shoes, perfect for any kind of dancing she might want to do.

“These are just beautiful!” Sophie cried, hugging Amy.

Amy grinned, looking pleased. “Glad you like them.”

There was a knock on the door and Henry entered, carrying a bunch of red, yellow and pink gerberas.

“Happy Birthday Sophie” he smiled, handing her the flowers. “Here's some beautiful flowers for a beautiful soul.”

Sophie blushed and looked down at the flowers, mumbling out a quiet thanks. Amy snickered.

“Really? Does that line usually work?”

Henry looked a little offended. “It's not a line.”

“Relax Henry, I'm just teasing.”

Henry relaxed and grinned, sliding an arm around Amy and pulling her in close.

“Or maybe you're sad you don't get your own flowers?”

Amy laughed and gave Henry an admonishing tap on the nose.

“Well now you know what you can give me for my birthday!”

Henry smiled, adjusting his grip to offer Amy and Sophie an arm each to take. It had been awhile since he had any friends that were relaxed enough to tease him. He was starting to suspect that being part of this team was actually going to be fun.

“Shall we?”

The trip to HQ was uneventful, much to Amy and Henry's relief. They led her into the library, where a large present wrapped in brown paper sat on the couch. Sophie stopped, and looked at Henry and Amy.

“My, whatever could that be?” Amy said innocently. Henry smirked.

“Another present? I don't need another one” Sophie said, but she sat down beside the present, and started pulling at the wrapping.

“It's not from Amy, it's from the rest of us” Henry said, smiling. “A token of our regard.”

The wrapping opened to reveal a large flat white box. Sophie lifted up the lid, and pulled out a shimmering silver dress. It had a classic 50s silhouette, with a boat neckline, fitted waist and flared skirt. It was covered with tiny silver sparkles. Underneath the dress in the box lay a blue patent leather belt, with a small bow at the front.

“Wow” Sophie breathed, holding the dress up to her body. “This is, this is too much.”

“Nonsense” Amy retorted. “Now you have a party dress with matching shoes! You couldn't leave those shoes all lonely without a dress to play with, could you?”

Sophie giggled. “No. Thank you Henry. Where are the others, I should thank them!”

Amy looked mischievous. “Well, I think Buffy is up in the gym. Why don't we go to our room and you can put the outfit on- she'd love to see how it looks.”

“Okay I guess” Sophie said, bemused, as Amy hustled her up the stairs to get changed.

While Sophie was changing, Amy put her flowers in a vase and placed them on the dressing table.

“You don't need to” Sophie began as Amy fussed with her hair.

“Hey, you've got the outfit on, may as well go all the way with party hair!” Amy said cheerfully, twisting half of Sophie's curls up and pinning them with silver combs, and letting the rest flow free.

She handed Sophie a pair of earrings- a long strip of silver sparkly stones which merged into a blue circular teardrop, the same blue shade as her belt. Sophie saw her looking over her lipsticks.

“Now you're just getting weird.”

Amy ignored her, and handed her a tube of bright red lipstick.

“Put this on.”

Sophie followed Amy up the stairs, feeling a little overwhelmed. She started to enter the training room, stopped short and gasped. The ceiling was covered with blue and silver helium balloons. The couch area had party food on the coffee table. The springy gym floor had been turned into a dance floor, the weapons were all cleared away and the room was lit with soft lamplight.

The rest of the team were there waiting for her. Caleb was dressed in a forest green button down shirt and black jeans, currently engrossed in the process of hooking up an iPod to a set of speakers, his laptop close by. Cassie was dressed simply in a floaty pink gown and strappy sandals, a matching flower in her hair. She was standing by a table near the wall that was set up with punch and a variety of soft drinks.

Buffy stood by the stairs, obviously playing lookout. She was dressed in a short red dress fitted to her frame, and her hair was up in a twist. Ben and Tom were standing in front of her, beaming with excitement. Tom's blonde curls were soft and shiny, contrasting prettily with his black waistcoat over a pale blue dress shirt, with the sleeves rolled up. His black shoes shone with polish, peeking out from under his black trouser pants.

Ben smiled at Sophie, offering her his arm. He was wearing a pale purple shirt which clung to his chest, straining the buttons in a most distracting way. Black trousers and shoes completed his ensemble.

“Happy Birthday!” he said, his soft baritone rumbling.

Sophie took his arm in a daze and let him lead her over to the food table.

“I thought you might want to refuel before we start dancing” Ben suggested, his eyes twinkling.

“This is amazing. You guys are sneaky!” Sophie laughed.

Caleb got the iPod working and upbeat dance music began playing. Buffy, Cassie and Caleb joined Sophie at the food table, and Sophie thanked them for her dress. Sophie had a moment of feeling very grateful to Amy, for she noticed that once they had greeted her and wished her happy birthday, the others started conversations with each other, quite deliberately not making her the centre of attention. Amy always knew how to make her feel at ease, and it seemed as if she'd passed that message on to the others.

Henry entered the room. He'd removed his coat, and glided over to them dressed in a white silk shirt with lace around the cuffs, and lacing at the base of his throat. The shirt was tucked into a pair of black trousers that clung to the lines of his legs and hips.

“Were you sufficiently surprised?” Henry asked Sophie, looking amused.

Sophie giggled. “Completely. I take it this was Amy's idea?”

“Yep, she was the general and we followed her orders” Ben answered, passing her a cup of punch.

“Is it to your liking?” Henry queried.

Sophie smiled, and let them all see in her face how touched she was.

“It's wonderful.”

Amy walked into the room, having gone to change. She had donned what Sophie called her 'rainbow dress'. The fitted bodice was sky blue, with a pattern of clouds. It flowed out into a fluffy rainbow tutu. Amy wore matching blue converse on her feet, and a rainbow clip in her hair. Cloud earrings hung from her ears. She made her way over to Sophie and gave her a hug.

“You're a sneak!” Sophie whispered in her ear.

Amy laughed, unrepentant. “But a lovable one!”

She turned and held her hand out to Tom. “Dance?”

“Yes please!”

Caleb glanced at Cassie. “You want to?”

Cassie looked uncertain. “I haven't really done this kind of dancing before.”

Caleb smiled warmly. “It's easy, just sway in time to the music. Come on, I'll help you.”

Cassie nodded, and Caleb led her out to the floor. Henry watched them for a moment, then turned his gaze to Buffy.

Buffy snorted. “Really? You think us dancing together is a good idea?”

“Why not? It's just dancing, I'm not implying anything else by it” Henry said calmly.

Buffy sighed, looking a little apologetic. “Sorry. It's not just you, I have a lot of romantic baggage when it comes to pretty vampire guys.”

Henry raised an eyebrow. “So you think I'm pretty?”

Buffy smiled reluctantly. “Yes, yes, you have all the charm, we all know this. Okay, I guess dancing doesn't have to be a big thing.”

She started for the dance floor, and Henry followed her, looking amused. Sophie and Ben were left standing at the food table. Sophie gulped her drink, feeling happy but a little nervous. She needed a moment to regroup, after coming straight from work to the party. Ben moved over to the drinks table to refill, and Sophie slipped away, down the stairs and to her bedroom. Sinking down to sit on her bed, she took some deep breaths, and started calming down. After a moment, she felt ready to rejoin the party.

Her reverie was interrupted by a soft knock on the door. Ben stuck his head through the open doorway, looking a little nervous. Sophie noticed absently that he needed a haircut, his hair was beginning to curl more noticeably. Not that she minded.

“May I come in?” Ben inquired.

“Of course!”

Ben sat down next to her on the bed. Sophie tried not to be flustered at the feeling of his thigh resting against hers.

“Are you alright? Was the party too much?”

“No! I just felt a bit overwhelmed. Coming straight from work to the party was a bit exhausting.”

Ben looked concerned. “Should I leave you alone? I don't want to intrude.”

“No, stay. I'm fine now, I was just about to join you all again.”

Ben looked relieved. He fidgeted a little, then pulled something out of his pocket. It was a small box, wrapped with a red bow.

“I know we all got you the dress, but I wanted to give you something else.”

Sophie blushed, looking down. “You didn't need to do that.”

Ben put out his hand and tipped her chin up gently to meet his gaze. Startled, Sophie met his eyes, which were regarding her warmly.

“I know, but I wanted to. You're special to me, Sophie. I..um I want you to know that I see you. I see how you watch us all, and notice things. You saw that Caleb and Cassie were a bit awkward with us, and you make sure to include them in the social stuff we do. You have a quiet kindness Sophie, that I very much like, and I wanted you to know that I see it, and that I appreciate you. And I'd like to get to know you better.”

He tipped the box into Sophie's hand, and she shakily pulled the bow open, lifting the lid. Inside the box, nestled on a bed of black velvet, was a necklace. It was a pendant, on a silver chain. Sophie lifted it up and saw that the pendant was a silver heart locket. Delicate engravings of flowers and leaves decorated the front, and a small red glass bead rested above the heart, suspended on the silver chain.

“This is beautiful” Sophie whispered.

“May I?” Ben inquired, carefully lifting the necklace from its box.

Sophie blushed and nodded, lifting her curls up to expose her neck. Ben leant forward and put his arms around her neck, fastening the necklace at the back. Sophie was suddenly highly aware of how close his face was to hers. Close enough to kiss. He let his fingers stroke along the nape of her neck as he released the clasp, and Sophie shivered. She stared into Ben's eyes, and he moved his face closer, and with a questioning look asked silently if she objected.

Sophie didn't, and she closed the gap to kiss him, throwing her arms around his neck and running her hands through his hair. She had been wanting to do that for a long time. His long-fingered hands stroked her face, then moved back to tangle in her curls. Kissing had a way of stunning the brain, a small part of her mind thought, while the rest just revelled in the feeling of Ben's lips on hers, his clever caressing hands. Her stomach was full of butterflies, and her skin felt warm, like she was blushing all over. The kiss had started gently, and now progressed to heated. They moved closer, and Sophie could feel Ben's strong body pressed against hers, it felt so good. Someone whimpered, and Sophie wasn't sure if it had been her or Ben.

“Oh, sorry!”

Amy was backing quickly out of the doorway. “Um, carry on. It's about time!”

Sophie giggled shakily, and Ben snorted. He rested his forehead against hers, their arms still wrapped around each other.

“Well. Um, that was...”

“Hmm. Yes. Thank you for my present, I love it.”

“I had noticed” Ben grinned, tucking an errant curl behind her ear.

Sophie stuck out her tongue, and Ben chuckled.

“Don't tempt me.”

He kissed her forehead, and the press of his lips sent another delighted shiver down Sophie's spine.

“Happy Birthday Sophie.”

“We should probably get back to my party” she murmured.

Ben hopped up and held out his hand to Sophie.

“You're quite right. May I have the first dance?”

Sophie smiled, and took his hand, feeling butterflies inside at the way Ben couldn't stop beaming. They proceeded up the stairs and re-entered the dance room. Amy and Tom were dancing together, Amy giving them both a cheeky thumbs from where her hands rested around Tom's neck. A slow song came on, Sophie thought it sounded familiar. She realised that it was from her iPod collection as she identified it- Taylor Swift, Everything Has Changed. Ben pulled her into his arms, cupping her hips with his strong hands. Sophie wrapped her arms around his neck. This brought their faces into close proximity again, and Sophie swore she heard Ben's breath hitch as he gazed down at her. They swayed together for a while, then they tried some of the ballroom steps Sophie knew so well. Ben was a fast learner, and led her around the dance floor with ease, never stepping on her toes.

Sophie proceeded to have the best birthday night she could remember. They all danced until they wore out their muscles, swapping partners and managing a dance with everyone by the end of the night. When they were too tired to continue, they retired to the couches and the food table, chatting, eating and talking until late into the night.

Finally they all fell into bed, Sophie pulling up the covers and closing her eyes, replaying the kiss with Ben in her head.

“I bet I know what you're thinking about” Amy whispered from her bed.

Sophie giggled. “Shut up.”

Amy snickered. “Seriously though, I'm happy for you. Did you enjoy your party?”

“Very much. It was perfect. Thank you.”

“You're very welcome. That's not the end of it though. Tomorrow night we're going clubbing with the team, and our friends from work. And the theatre crowd.”

“What? But I just had a party. And I don't have friends at work.”

“Don't think of it as another party, think of it as a fun clubbing night, we have those normally. And despite what you think, you do have work friends. It's not just me they're friends with, they like you too. If they didn't, they wouldn't have taken you out to lunch today, would they?”

Sophie made a non-committal noise. She didn't agree, but it was no use arguing with Amy. And clubbing did sound fun. At least it wasn't a surprise, and she could plan ahead.

“Good night Amy.”

“So was it a good kiss?”

“Good night Amy!”


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amy and Tom see some action (in both senses of the word).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to my friend Mandi, here is your bad guy cameo.

The alley was dark, lit dimly by the moon overhead. It was a logical thoroughfare between a few clubs, but it was rarely taken, due to the strong smell emitting from a myriad of dumpsters littered along the back of shops.

Amy and Tom had been in a hurry to get to Sophie's birthday clubbing night. Amy hadn't been quite ready, and Tom offered to go with her and have the others go on ahead. It had seemed like the sensible choice, but Amy was now regretting it as the black figure slammed her into the wall, trying to pin her arms with one gloved hand. The other made a fist heading for her face. Amy had seen it coming though, and managed to move her head aside at the last minute. The leather gloved hand hit the brick work instead, and she was sorry to see that it didn't seem to hurt her attacker. It had initially tried to attack her with a knife, but Amy had quickly used fire to overheat the metal, forcing it to drop it. Amy was quite proud of that move.

At first she thought they were human attackers, but the eyes that started to glow red as they spotted her and Tom quickly changed her mind. At least there were only three of them. They were all dressed in black, with black masks over their faces. Amy decided to call them demon ninjas.

She couldn't get her wrists free, and she saw another punch coming. Quickly she called fire into its face, setting the mask alight. The ninja staggered back, its hands trying to put out the flames, and Amy sent it further back with a quick kick to the stomach. Once she had a bit more room, she called her sword to her hand and set the blade to burning with her magic. With a quick slash of the burning blade, she lopped its head off. Buffy would be proud of that move she thought.

Now she was able to turn her attention to Tom and the other two attackers. One had Tom backed into a corner, which was helpful as the other couldn't get any room to attack, and Tom with his longsword had the reach on him. Amy wondered if Tom had done that on purpose. Great tactical thinking, if so.

The hovering ninja saw Amy and left Tom to head for her, knife in hand. As soon as it left, Tom attacked the one in front of him with a shower of ice shards, then stabbed his sword through his throat, dodging the other's desperate slash.

The ninja approached Amy warily, knife out. Amy grinned, and again used her fire to overheat the weapon. Instead of dropping it however, the ninja threw it at her, causing Amy to twist and hit the ground in her attempts to dodge it. The knife missed, but before Amy could recover the ninja jumped and landed on her, knocking her back into the ground and kicking away her sword. It straddled her, wrapped its gloved hands around her throat and squeezed. Amy couldn't concentrate to call fire. Why did she have to get the smart one she thought forlornly, twisting and pulling at its hands.

“Amy!” she heard Tom yelling, probably on his way to her.

The ninja turned to look, and Amy took advantage of his distraction to flip his body to the side using her hips. His grip loosened as he fought for balance, and then lost it altogether as Tom's foot slammed into his head, knocking him back. Amy leapt to her feet, grabbing her sword as she moved, and plunged it into his chest as Tom skewered him in the throat with his sword.

Wearily, Amy surveyed the scene. Three dead bodies, no other movement. Good, they didn't have any friends waiting. She sent her sword back to its pocket dimension, and turned to Tom as he moved forward towards her, sword gone and a frantic worried look on his face.

“Are you alright?” he asked, gently tilting her head to inspect her throat.

“I'm fine” Amy said, wincing a little as he touched a sore spot.

“Sorry! You're going to have some bruising there I think. Sophie should have a look when we get to the club.”

“Are you ok?” Amy asked, doing an inspection of her own. Gently she ran her fingers under his blonde curls, feeling for any cuts or blood. “You hit the wall pretty hard at the beginning.”

Tom smiled, leaning a little into her stroking hands. He moved his hands up from her neck into her blue hair.

“So did you. I liked your overheating move, did you just come up with that? Great strategy.”

Amy smiled, pleased. “Yeah it was, thanks. It was a good move, getting in the corner there.”

“I was worried they'd try and flank me.”

Amy was suddenly aware that they were standing quite close, with their hands still stroking through each other's hair. The feel of Tom's long fingers stroking along her scalp sent goosebumps down the back of her neck. She took a deep shaking breath, adrenalin still coursing through her. Time to go for it.

“Um, Tom? I like you. And I'd like to kiss you. Is that alright?”

Tom grinned, and drew her closer, their bodies touching.

“Yes please.”

Their lips met and Amy could feel everything so intensely that it was almost too much. Their hands were still tangled in each other's hair, Tom tasted of salt and sweat and she could feel his body pressed against hers. His long clever fingers tugged at her hair and sent a jolt of heat down into her stomach. She whimpered into his mouth, licking and nipping across his bottom lip. Tom drew in a sharp breath and ran one of his hands down her back, stroking it in circles while his other hand dropped slightly to grip the back of her neck. They kissed like they were drowning in each other, both reluctant to come up for air.

Amy's breath was coming in short pants, and she felt almost dizzy. She ran her hands down Tom's long back, then slid them in under his t-shirt, lightly pressing them along the bare skin of his lower back. Tom shuddered, and pressed her closer against him, moving them backwards until Amy was pressed up against the brick wall. He kissed his way down her neck, sucking and licking and gently nibbling any skin he could feel. Amy's knees lost all capacity to hold her up, if Tom hadn't been pressing her so firmly against the wall she wouldn't have been able to keep standing. She whimpered and dug her nails into Tom's back, he groaned and grabbed her hips.

Suddenly Tom drew back, panting.

“Um, I think we should stop or we'll never get to the club” he confessed, reluctantly.

Amy sighed. Her body was humming, and her lips felt all tingly.

“You're right. That was good though, yeah?”

Tom drew her close into a hug.

“It was very good” he murmured in her ear. “I'm glad you asked me, I've been wanting to do that for a while. After we beat Akuzaal, do you want to go out on a date?”

Amy laughed. “You mean another one? Movie night felt a little date-like.”

Tom chuckled. “Yes. One without everyone else.”

“Sounds good.”

Amy pulled back and looked around at the demon bodies still lying where they had left them.

“We should probably do something about this. Luckily I still have that number we called last time.”

She was ringing the clean-up team when Caleb and Henry came running into the thoroughfare. They stopped and looked around at the bodies.

“I thought I felt something!” Caleb said. “Are you all right?”

Tom smiled. “We're all fine. We took care of them.”

Henry was still staring at his face, and Tom realised he had a rather silly grin on his face. Henry smirked.

“You have a little lipstick on your face there” he announced, looking smug.

Tom wiped his face and found he was wearing rather a lot of Amy's lipstick. Caleb chortled.

“I didn't want to say, but yeah. So the fight went really well, did it?”

Amy finished her phone call, and joined them. She looked at Tom's red face, and at the others smirking, and laughed.

“Hang on” she picked her purse up from the ground where it had fallen at the beginning of the fight, and pulled out a small packet of wipes. “Here you go, that should help.”

She met Caleb and Henry's faces with a grin of her own.

“Got anything to say, boys?” she challenged.

“Finally! comes to mind” Caleb laughed.

Henry's eyes gleamed. “I am pleased that my attempt at introducing you all proved so successful.”

Amy snorted. “So you're a matchmaker now? That's why you had us meet the boys after their play that time?” She thought for a moment, then grinned. “Can't really complain about that, I guess.” She waved her hand at the bodies. “Now you're here, help me move these body parts over behind this dumpster. That should keep them from being seen before the clean up crew gets here.”

The boys helped, and with Henry's strength, it didn't take long. Then they all made use of Amy's wipes after, as moving body parts was a pretty messy job. Amy put the nearly empty packet back in her bag, and reapplied her lipstick. Her clothes were still intact, at least. Pulling some power bars out of her bag for her and Tom to munch on, they headed for the club. Time to make Sophie's night a memorable one.

The club was crowded. Amy could see all of their work friends, and most of the theatre crowd inside dancing. Pushing through the bodies, she finally caught sight of Sophie, slow dancing with Ben. Her straight hair was beginning to curl, her face was sweaty and she had a giant smile on her face. Ben had his arms around her waist, and was gazing into her eyes like nothing else in this world existed.

Amy felt a hand rest against the small of her back. She glanced back and smiled, as Tom leant down to give her neck a soft kiss. Taking his hand, she led him through the sweaty crowd, over to Sophie and Ben. Caleb and Henry followed. They saw Buffy dancing away with a group of admirers, near to Sophie. Buffy was smiling, but her eyes were darting around the room, automatically scanning the crowd and checking for exits. She spotted the others, and made her way over to them.

Sophie turned slightly and saw them. She smiled, which quickly died and turned to concern. She leaned over and yelled in Amy's ear.

“Something's wrong, your auras are all over the place!”

“We ran into some demons on our way here, but we're fine, we took care of them” Amy answered back.

Buffy heard the exchange (Slayer hearing was always helpful), and she motioned to the back of the club.

“Let's go back here- it's quieter!”

They all followed her to a quieter area, where people were playing pool. A couch area was free, and the young people all squeezed in. Sophie inspected Tom and Amy for injuries as they described their encounter. Amy tried to wave her away.

“I'm fine Sophie, don't fret. No healing me, they're just some burns.”

“And bruising!” Sophie said indignantly, carefully tracing the necklace of bruises beginning to blossom around Amy's neck.

Amy shrugged. “I'll be okay. If I'm still sore when we get home, you can heal me then, all right? Save your energy for the important things. Plus, no glowy healing hands in public.”

Sophie looked frustrated, and Amy nudged her.

“Hey! It's someone's birthday night, remember? Having fun, dancing? You're good at that, as I recall.”

“They're fine” Buffy added, smiling at Sophie reassuringly, and then turning to Amy and Tom. “You guys did great- you were strategic, you didn't panic, you used your magic and your weapons...you did everything really well.”

“You certainly did” Caleb murmured, shooting a mischievous look at Amy and Tom.

Henry chuckled. Tom blushed. Amy looked happy.

“Yes, yes we did” she said proudly.

Sophie raised an eyebrow, her attention neatly diverted.

“What?”

“Tom and Amy were....otherwise engaged when we came to rescue them” Henry said, smirking.

“We were doing a lot of kissing” Amy said bluntly, grinning.

Ben put his arm around Sophie and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

“Looks like we're all having a good night then” he said, grinning at Amy and Tom.

Sophie giggled and hugged Amy.

“I told you so!” she whispered in Amy's ear.

“Right back at you!” Amy whispered back, smirking.

“Okay!” Buffy said, pulling the girls to their feet. “More dancing now!”

They rejoined the dancing area. Sophie and Ben went right back to dancing with each other. Amy made the effort to mingle and greet all their work friends that showed up, Tom introduced her to his theatre friends. Amy tried to make sure she introduced Buffy and Caleb when she could, it seemed Henry was already well known to the theatre students. And lusted after. Henry had a never ending string of people happy to dance with him. He noticed Buffy casting him looks, and leaned over to purr in her ear.

“I fed before I came, I'm not going to indulge myself at the expense of Sophie's night.”

Buffy looked startled.

“I wasn't...I didn't..”

Henry just looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

Buffy sighed. “Ok yes. Well thanks for clearing that up.”

Caleb had been looking a little awkward, glancing at Henry a few times, dancing on his own. Amy noticed, and nudged Tom, who saw too. Without having to discuss it, they broke apart, moved over to Caleb and included him in their circle. Gradually Buffy joined them, with a few of the theatre students. Amy finally started to relax, the tension from the fight draining out of her as she danced. The power bars they ate on the way over helped to reduce some of the impact from using their powers, but after an hour Amy was feeling pretty wrecked, and a little dizzy. The club was hot, with all the dancing bodies and the lights.

“Want to get a drink?” she asked Tom, who nodded, and they left the circle to head for the bar.

Amy sipped her water slowly, enjoying the coolness. Now she needed to sit down for a bit. She leaned in close to Tom, who was nursing a soft drink.

“Can we go sit down?!”

Tom looked around, then grabbed her hand.

“This way!”

He led her past the pool area, out the back door into a little outdoor beer garden. Gas heat lamps dotted the small space, along with tables and chairs. The night had turned cold, and only a few couples were outside, near the door. Tom led them over to the last table next to the back wall and they took a seat. They sipped their drinks, slowly cooling down, and Amy's muscles felt a little less like jelly. Her body still trembled a bit with fatigue, but nothing a good night's sleep wouldn't fix.

“I don't think I've ever been out here before” Amy commented, gazing around. “It's pretty.”

It was a small space, but well utilised. A six foot high stone wall surrounded the pub, green ivy climbing up over it. A couple of saplings in large pots grew next to the wall, with fairy lights wrapped around the branches. 

Slowly, Amy became aware of a general feeling of unease. She glanced at Tom, his forehead was wrinkled in a frown, as he stared off into space.

“You feeling something too?” Amy said, leaving her drink on the table and standing up.

She instinctively put her back to the wall, and looked around for the threat. Tom rose and walked around the table to join her.

“Yes, something...threatening? It's very faint.”

Amy sighed. “I thought we were all done for the night.”

She admitted silently to herself that she wasn't sure if she was up to another fight. She still felt exhausted.

“We should join the others, make sure they're ok” Tom said.

Amy nodded, but they never had the chance to even move. Four thick, long tentacles slid over the top of the wall. They glowed softly with a green light. Creeping down the wall, they made their way behind Amy and Tom's backs. Suddenly they lashed out, quick as a whip, sliding one tentacle round the couple's waists, and another round their throats.

Unable to cry out, Tom and Amy's instinctive reaction was to grab the tentacles around their necks, trying to dislodge them, as they were whipped up into the air and deposited on the roof of the club. It all happened so quickly, that the couples at the back door hadn't even had time to turn around and see it.

Sophie smiled dreamily, looking up into Ben's eyes as she danced. This was the best lot of birthday celebrations she'd ever had. All the dancing and the drinks however (her work colleagues kept wanting to shout her), created a dire need for the bathroom. She stated her intention in Ben's ear, and headed for it, while Ben went over to join the dancing circle with Caleb and Buffy.

The bathroom appeared empty, which never happened. Sophie wondered if there was some kind of special on at the bar to draw the crowd? She was happy about not having to wait for a stall. Leaving it to wash her hands, she glanced over to the door, there was still no one waiting. Weird. Drying her hands, she looked back up at the mirror, and screamed. There was something behind her.

Caleb froze. Something was wrong. There was a demon close by. Henry was suddenly by his side.

“What is it?”

“There's a demon nearby” Caleb said softly, knowing Henry would hear him.

Buffy and Ben, seeing his face, had crowded close in time to hear his reply.

“Where are the others?” Ben said, looking around. “Sophie's in the bathroom.”

“Amy and Tom went into the beer garden” Buffy said. “I'll go check on Sophie...”

“I can...” Ben began, but Buffy cut him off.

“No you can't. It's a girl's bathroom Ben, people would notice. I'll check on her, you guys go outside and check on Tom and Amy. We'll join you out there.”

Ben nodded reluctantly, and headed off with Henry and Caleb. Henry was declining offers of company as he moved away. Buffy made for the bathroom as fast as she could without drawing attention.

Sophie shrank back against the sink as she saw two glowing green tentacles inching through the small bathroom window and shooting down the wall, quickly cutting off her route to the door. Taking in a shaky breath, she concentrated and her silver dagger appeared in her hand. Quickly she sent a trickle of her power into the weapon, and it began to glow. If there was a demon in here, it stood to reason that the others were in danger too. Time to try out her dagger and get back to the others as fast as she could. A tentacle darted out at her, waist-high, and she slashed with her dagger, slicing into it. The tentacle shrank back, black blood dripping on to the floor.

Sophie touched the wound with her power, and a tiny glowing thread reached out of the wound, connecting with her dagger. Energy pulsed along the thread, into the dagger and up her arm, filling Sophie with energy and life. She could feel it trickling out of the tentacle into her, crawling inside her...she fell to her knees, feeling nauseous. It just felt so wrong to be pulling the life out of something. The tentacles reared back, and withdrew back to the window, disappearing quickly. After a handful of seconds, the thread snapped and was gone. The dagger no longer pulsed. She got shakily to her feet, shut the bathroom window and threw up in the sink.

Caleb, Ben and Henry came out the back door, Caleb grimaced.

“It's stronger out here.”

Henry turned to look at the two couples sitting near the back door. Quickly he walked over to the first couple, staring at them both and whispering.

“You want to go dance and never come back out here” Caleb heard him say.

They stood up and went into the club. Henry moved over to the next couple and repeated his actions, they went inside too. Henry rejoined them.

“Where is the feeling the strongest?” Henry asked, looking around.

Ben spotted the two glasses on the far table, and rushed over.

“You think they were here?”

Henry and Caleb followed. Henry sniffed the rim of the glass.

“They were here.”

Caleb hissed.

“The demon is definitely out here.”

He closed his eyes, and tried to concentrate. The taint was strong, especially on the wall. As he stood there, the strength of the feeling started to fade a little and grow faint, like it wasn't connected as strongly to the earth as before. Hmm. He opened his eyes and studied the wall. “Give me a boost Henry?”

Henry smiled an assent, and crouched down by the wall. Caleb clambered awkwardly on to his shoulders, and slung his legs either side of Henry's neck. Henry stood up in a fast, smooth motion and Caleb grabbed his hair in panic.

“Sorry!”

Caleb grabbed the top of the wall, and carefully pulled himself up. He stood, looking up. The taint had felt fainter, and he had the idea that it may not be moving away, but be further up. If the beast was up high, it would have a fainter connection to the earth. He studied the roof of the club carefully. It had a short stone wall around the top, which obscured Caleb's line of sight. He was finally rewarded when he saw the tip of a glowing green tentacle waving around above the wall.

Sophie looked up from the sink as Buffy burst in.

“There's trouble!”

“I know” Sophie answered, indicating the black spatters on the floor. “Something tried to get in- glowy tentacles, not sure what they were attached to. I got it with my dagger and it ran away.”

Buffy looked at her closer, and noticed that Sophie was pale and shaking.

“Are you okay?”

Sophie nodded, splashing some water on her face.

“I'm ok. Wait, are the others?”

“Ben, Caleb and Henry are okay, they've gone to check on Amy and Tom.”

“Then let's go.”

Amy and Tom gasped for breath, struggling against the tentacles. In the middle of the roof was a large creature. It had a squat shape, with a large gaping maw in the centre. It glowed green all over, lighting the roof area. Around twenty long tentacles splayed out and moved about the roof.

“Well, what do we have here” drawled a cool voice from behind them.

The tentacles around Amy and Tom's necks slipped down, pinning their arms to their sides. They were turned to face an imposing woman in dark robes. Her hair was long and dark, her face was cruel. She looked them over with a general air of disdain.

Now that she wasn't fighting for breath, Amy could concentrate. She sent a ball of fire towards the woman. Well it was supposed to be a ball of fire, instead it was a small flame, flickering dimly. As it reached the woman, she made a small gesture. The flame turned green and fizzled out.

“I don't think you have quite recovered from your earlier encounter dear” the woman said, smirking.

Amy felt dizzy. She tried to call fire again, but nothing happened. Tom managed to call up a small handful of ice shards, but they dropped to the ground before even reaching the woman. She made another gesture, and the tentacles pushed Amy and Tom to their knees. Slowly she swished over to them and bent down closer to Tom, grabbing a handful of his curls and jerking his head back to expose his throat.

“You have been causing the Order a lot of problems, children” she said sweetly.

“Well I just feel terrible about that” Amy snarled, glaring at her.

“Yes, you have inspired quite a few arguments of how to proceed” the woman continued, ignoring her. “Half of them think you need to be killed. The other half think that killing you will only send your powers back to that interfering seer. Our Master is still undecided, so we have been trying both. I was smart enough to let those lesser mages tire you out before making my move.”

“And which argument do you follow?” Tom said, gritting his teeth against the sharp pull on his scalp.

The woman laughed, and said lightly “Oh, I think the only acceptable problem, is a dead problem.”

 


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evil mage is evil. Amy's not doing so well. Sophie is awesome. It gets messy with the tentacle monster.

Amy was trying to play it cool, but she was feeling frantic on the inside. She glared at the woman, at the manicured hand tangled in Tom's curls. How dare she touch him. She tried reaching for fire again, but she couldn't manage it. Calling her sword wouldn't help, as she couldn't get her arms free to wield it.

“What I haven't decided yet, is how I want to do it” the woman continued, looking thoughtful.

She gripped Tom's hair harder, pulling it back to expose more of his neck. Her other hand drew a silver knife from her robes.

“I could slice your throats, that would be quite pretty. All that red...that's my favourite part. Over so fast, though. Not very entertaining.”

Amy spat at her. She wasn't quite close enough, her effort fell short, but the woman noticed, and turned her attention away from Tom to her. Which had been Amy's intention.

“Aw are you feeling left out, pet?” she crooned, sending a pulse of green light from her hand into the tentacles holding Amy.

They pulsed, then tightened, leaving her fighting for breath again. Her ribs hurt, sending out little stabs of pain every time the tentacles pulsed. The woman moved closer, grabbing Amy's blue hair and jerking her head back. Another tentacle waved closer, and a number of needle-sharp spines shot out of the end. It whipped out and left stinging punctures at the base of Amy's neck. The spines were absorbed back into the tentacle, and it melded into a number of rubbery tips which pressed against the wounds, creating suction and starting to pulse again. Amy let out a strangled sob. Tom started yelling unprintable things.

“It's feeding from you” the mage said conspiratorially, watching Amy's neck closely. “It's been very helpful, and I thought it needed a treat. You would not believe the rituals involved in summoning one of these. Quite an effort.”

Meanwhile, Buffy and Sophie walked quickly to the beer garden, managing to avoid any interactions with the other party guests on their way past. Buffy had retrieved her duffel bag of weapons from coat check. Rushing outside, they saw Caleb standing on top of the back wall, with Henry and Ben watching him. Sophie felt relieved seeing them unhurt, but her stomach sank as she realised that Amy and Tom were missing. Henry heard them coming and turned to greet them.

“Amy and Tom were here, but are missing. Caleb senses the demon close by.”

Caleb turned and sat on the wall.

“The demon is up on the roof. I saw a tentacle.”

“There was a tentacle in the bathroom with Sophie” Buffy said. “Sounds like the same one.”

Ben looked concerned, and moved to Sophie to wrap an arm around her.

“Are you all right?”

Sophie nodded, giving him a little smile. “I am now.”

“So we need to get to the roof” Caleb stated. “I think I can use this vine to take us up there.”

“I won't need the help” Henry replied.

“All right, let's do it” Buffy said.

Caleb concentrated, and a mass of ivy came off the wall, weaving together to make a platform.

“Hop on.”

Buffy, Sophie and Ben gingerly settled themselves on the green carpet. Henry jumped and landed neatly on top of the wall next to Caleb. He blurred, and the next minute Caleb saw him halfway to the roof. Shaking his head, he turned his gaze back to the others. He couldn't afford to make any mistakes with this. Feeling a slight strain, he sent more of his magic along the vines, slowly lifting the platform into the air and towards the roof. Carefully he directed the platform to the corner furthest from where he'd seen the tentacle. He watched as their dark figures climbed over the roof wall, then brought the vines twisting back to him. They circled his waist and bore him over to the same corner of the roof. Quickly he slid over and paused in the shadow of the wall with the others.

Tom struggled against his bonds, desperate to get to Amy. He didn't think he had ever hated someone as much as this mage. He cast his eyes around the roof, looking for anything he could use to help. The creature was still glowing green against the night sky. There was a sudden blur of movement, and Henry appeared at Amy's side, his eyes black and his fangs out. He knocked the mage to the floor, snarling. Tom thought he'd never seen Henry look so terrifying.

The woman's face quickly became a mask of concentration. She flicked her hand, a green light shot out of it and pushed Henry off her, into the concrete. A couple of tentacles surged forward, twining around Henry's legs, immobilising him for a moment.

The mage stood, looking unruffled, but Tom could see her hands shaking slightly. Henry was attempting to pull the tentacles off his legs, Tom didn't think they would hold him for long.

Amy let out a quiet whimper and sagged, closing her eyes.

“Amy!” Tom yelled, pulling against the tentacles, which only gripped him tighter.

Amy didn't respond. Tom glared at the mage.

“Stop it! You're killing her!”

“Well that's the idea” she drawled, looking amused.

Her amusement turned to irritation a moment later, and began approaching the zone of pissed off. Tom craned his head around to follow her gaze, and spotted the rest of the team moving out of the far corner of the roof. Well they were dark figures at this stage, but Tom didn't know anyone else who'd be up on the roof with Henry.

A moment later, an arrow streaked above Henry's head, cutting one of the tentacles holding his legs. Tom could almost see the wheels turning in the mage's head as she made an assessment. Quickly, she pulled a silver chain out of her robes and wrapped a hand around the crystal that hung from it.

“Ugh fuck this, I'm out. Have fun with my creature.”

A whispered word, the crystal shone green, and the mage disappeared. Another of Ben's arrows shot through the space she had occupied. Henry pulled the last tentacle off his legs.

“Help Amy!” Tom ordered.

With the disappearance of the mage, the tentacle creature started going wild. Tentacles were waving all over the place. Tom started being drawn across the roof by the tentacles that held him. He went limp, trying to use his weight to slow his progress. He didn't want to get up close and personal with that big mouth full of teeth.

Henry moved quickly to Amy, who hung motionless, the tentacles the only thing holding her off the ground. The tentacles holding her started to move, but before they could pull her away Buffy and Caleb reached his side. Buffy handed Henry a sword, then ran to Tom to cut the tentacles holding him with her scythe.

Caleb used his staff to block the tentacles trying to grab them. One grabbed the end of his staff, Caleb used his power and brought the ivy surging up to twine around the tentacles, slowing them down.

Henry carefully cut the tentacles attached to Amy's neck first. They fell off her neck, leaving a circular wounds behind that oozed blood a little. Amy's face was very pale. Henry sliced through the rest of the tentacles, bracing Amy with his other arm so she wouldn't hit the ground.

The shorn parts of the tentacles still attached to the creature waved around wildly, spraying blue ooze everywhere. Sophie was still in the corner of the roof, Ben standing in front of her, shooting arrows into the main body of the creature. Some reached it, others were caught and discarded by tentacles.

Tom pulled free of the last tentacle as Buffy cut it, racing to Amy, whom Henry now held in his arms, his sword hastily tucked behind his belt. She was limp and still, and Tom's stomach dropped at the sight of her. He raised his hand and stroked her cheek.

“Is she...?”

“She still has a pulse” Caleb said reassuringly.

“Get her to Sophie” Buffy said to Henry, who nodded. “Tom, are you okay to fight?”

Tom nodded grimly, calling his longsword.

“I'm all tapped out of magic, but swinging a sword I can do. Plan?”

“Head for the main body and slice it to pieces. If any tentacles get in the way, chop them off. Caleb, keep using your power to try and pin the tentacles down for us.”

Caleb nodded.

“I'll make a path for you.”

Sophie was concentrating on shielding Ben from the tentacles, feeling pleased that it was working, and worried about Amy and Tom. Suddenly Henry appeared next to her, carrying a very pale and still Amy.

“She needs healing” Henry said urgently, laying Amy down on the ground carefully. “I'll guard you while you work.”

He pulled the sword out of his belt in one smooth motion, and went to stand by Ben, slicing any tentacle that got too close.

Sophie released Ben from her shielding (warning him first), and turned her attention to Amy. Trying to think past her initial shock at seeing her normally lively friend so still, she held her now glowing hands over Amy's body. She could sense a cracked rib, so she healed that first. Then she laid her hands against the wounds on Amy's neck. They healed quickly, but Sophie could sense that it wasn't enough.

The creature hadn't just fed on Amy's blood, it had fed on her life force. Sophie didn't have enough life force to give, it would drain her dry, and still wouldn't save Amy. Staring into space, Sophie thought furiously. Ah!

“Catch me a tentacle” Sophie ordered Ben and Henry. “One still attached.”

The men looked curious, but didn't question her. Henry was the first to catch one. Pulling it towards Sophie, he pinned it down next to her.

Sophie pulled out her dagger, touched it with power, and stabbed the tentacle. A link formed and Sophie could feel the life force from the creature trickling into her. This time she didn't recoil, or fight against it. Taking in a deep breath to calm herself, Sophie laid her hands on Amy, and concentrated on feeding the life force through her hands into Amy. She had to fight to make it happen, the life force didn't want to go anywhere once it trickled into her. Slowly, she established a thin trickle into Amy, Sophie worked to widen it into a steady stream.

Henry continued to keep the tentacle pinned, the muscles in his arms straining. He could see Sophie was deeply involved in her healing, so he didn't try and talk to her. Ben kept sneaking glances behind him to see how they were getting on.

Sophie was sweating from the effort of keeping the stream linked to Amy. She knew it was working, Amy's colour was improving, and she felt better. The glow on her hands was fading, after a few minutes she withdrew and broke the stream.

Henry released the tentacle, it stayed limp on the ground.

“I think you killed it” Henry remarked. He grabbed his sword from the ground and cut through the tentacle, just to make sure.

Sophie sank back on the ground, exhausted. Ben looked back at them, concerned.

“How's it going?”

Amy groaned, and her eyelids fluttered open.

“Ugh that sucked.”

She opened her eyes and sat up a little, first looking around at Sophie and the men, then past them, taking in the scene of Buffy, Tom and Caleb gradually forcing a path through glowing tentacles to the monster's body. The path behind them was littered with severed tentacles. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Tom was all right.

“How are you feeling?” Sophie asked wearily.

Amy smiled.

“Actually, really good, considering my last memory was of being sucked to death. I take it you saved me again?”

“The creature donated some of its life force, so it was a joint effort” Sophie said, smiling.

Amy laughed.

“I'll have to thank it, shall I? Wait, where's that mage?”

“She teleported out” Henry said quietly, keeping an eye on the creature. “If you are well, I will go help the others.”

Amy nodded.

“Knock yourself out. Well, not literally.”

Henry chuckled. “I'm glad you're feeling better.”

He was suddenly gone, flashing towards the others, dodging tentacles as he ran. Amy stood up, calling her sword to her hand. She looked down at Sophie.

“Thank you. I feel pretty good now! I'll help Ben, you just rest.”

Sophie leant back against the low roof wall.

“This is getting awfully familiar.”

Amy grinned, and moved to cover Ben. As she looked around though, she didn't think there'd be a need. Buffy, Caleb and Tom had made it to the creature's body, and the glow of the tentacles was gradually fading as they sliced it to bits. Henry arrived and joined in. The tentacles were moving rather feebly now, Amy wondered if Sophie had managed to drain it somewhat. Ben lowered his bow, and went to check on Sophie.

The others finally finished, and moved over to their roof corner, covered in blue goo. All of the creature's tentacles lay limply now, and its body/head was a chopped up mess. Tom's face lit up as he spotted Amy, and rushed to hug her. Amy didn't even mind the goo that was now all over her. She hugged him back fiercely.

“I'm so glad you're all right” Tom whispered in her ear. “I was so worried.”

Amy smiled. “I'm glad you're okay too. Annoyed that the mage got away though.”

Tom drew back and gave her a soft kiss on her lips.

“We'll get her next time.”

“Actually, the mage gave some stuff away” Amy mused.

Buffy turned to her, eyebrows raised.

“Do tell.”

Amy sat down cross-legged, the others joined her. Buffy pulled out her cleaning cloth from the bag she'd left in the corner, and started cleaning her scythe.

“Well, she said that there wasn't consensus on how to deal with us. Some of the Order wanted to capture us, for they weren't sure what would happen to our powers if they killed us. Others just wanted to kill us.”

“The mage certainly did” Tom said darkly.

“Yeah. Anyway she said the boss of the Order hadn't decided yet. So all these mages we're fighting, are just having a go at us on their own.”

“Yes, there's no collaborative plan yet” Tom added. “Apparently this mage had been observing us, and waited until Amy and I had been exhausted from the fight on the way here to attack us.”

“Being unable to do magic was bad” Amy said. “We need to keep practising and build up our stamina. I don't want to be caught out like that again.”

“Hmm” Buffy looked thoughtful. “Good to know they're not completely organised yet I guess. And yes, we should practice. We'll have another hand-to-hand and magic practice session after work tomorrow.”

She put the scythe away in her bag and held out her hands for the other's weapons.

“Come on, gimme.”

“We can clean them” Tom objected. “You shouldn't have to do it all.”

“This is my post battle meditation guys. I want to. Now hand 'em over.”

Ben had been sitting next to Sophie with his arm around her. Reluctantly he stood up.

“I'd better go collect my arrows.”

Henry rose. “I'll help you.”

Amy stretched, sighing. She felt in her pocket and pulled out her phone.

“We should call Cassie. And the clean-up crew. Two clean-ups in one night, they won't be impressed.”

“Want me to do the calls this time?” Tom offered, arranging himself behind Amy so she could lean back on him.

“Sure” Amy passed the phone over gratefully.

Caleb looked around at everyone, and chuckled.

“We're going to get some interesting looks on the tube.”

Sophie smiled at him.

“Well, you guys will. Unless we get Henry to do his 'don't look at me' vampire trick.”

“He can do that? That's pretty cool.”

“Yes he is, isn't he?” Buffy teased, and grinned when Caleb blushed.

“Sorry about your birthday dancing night” Amy said, observing all the carnage on the roof.

“Oh, I don't know. This is starting to feel like a normal night to me” Sophie replied.

And it did, really. Fun times, followed by carnage, followed by healing-induced exhaustion. Sophie glanced down at her birthday necklace, smiling to herself. Yes, the best birthday week she'd ever had.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend's cameo created mage ended up being so cool I didn't want to kill her off yet. She may pop up later in the story, if she's lucky. Not lucky for the team though.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the latest battle, the team debrief, and Amy has trouble sleeping. Luckily for her, she has some lovely men in her life. ;-)

Caleb was right- they did get some funny looks on the tube, but no one said anything. A group of people covered in blue goo would be fairly intimidating, he guessed.

Leaving the club was done sneakily. Sophie went back down to the club to collect coats and say goodbye to the party guests. Knowing Sophie's limited social tolerance, most of the guests weren't surprised that she was leaving a little early. Caleb used the ivy to set the team down on the street at the back of the club, where Sophie met them with their coats.

Now they were back at HQ, filling Cassie in on their encounter, while the others took turns showering. Amy was in the kitchen making hot chocolate for everyone. Sophie and Ben were the last ones using the showers. The rest of them sat at the kitchen table, picking half heartedly at the food Cassie had prepared once she had heard of the magic they had used.

Caleb was eating with one hand while he booted up his laptop. He needed to enter the new information about the Order into his database. Amy finished in the kitchen, and carefully brought the mugs over to the table, sliding into a chair next to Tom. She hunched over her mug, staring off into space. Caleb studied her under the cover of his long eyelashes. She looked better, the colour was back in her cheeks, instead of that horrible faded white colour he had seen when they reached the roof. Her eyes looked haunted, though. He glanced at Tom and saw that he was watching her too, blue-green eyes thoughtful and concerned.

He looked up and caught Caleb's gaze. Caleb looked at Amy, then back at Tom, raising an eyebrow. Tom shrugged, his meaning clear. Amy wasn't great, but what could they do? Caleb tried to give Tom a reassuring smile. From what he'd seen so far of Amy, he thought she'd be okay eventually. Her innate cheerfulness and positivity would win out.

Buffy was busy mapping out the next few days.

“Ok tomorrow and Friday night we'll have training here after you guys finish work.” She paused, and looked at Cassie. “Do we have any leads yet on where it's taking place on Saturday night?”

Cassie sighed. “Not yet. The other seers seem confident that I'll have a vision about it, since I seem particularly tuned in to this event. I just wish it would happen sooner than later.”

Caleb looked up from his laptop.

“I've been mapping all the attacks so far, and they are all happening in this area of London.” He turned his screen around so the others could see. “It might be nothing though.”

“Any information is good” Buffy said, smiling. “Keep doing it, it might come in useful.”

As the excitement of the night started to wear down, they all drifted off to bed. Sophie was first to go, swaying on her feet as Ben steadied her on her way. Tom, Caleb and Cassie were next. Henry went to the library to study. Amy was still full of energy from her healing, and convinced Buffy to run her through another training session before bed. Eventually the house fell quiet.

_The lady mage watched Amy, smiling at her wickedly as she drew her silver blade across Tom's throat, red gushing down his shirt as Amy screamed and screamed.......the tentacles gripped her tighter and tighter, pushing into her flesh, slicing through bone..._

Amy sat up with a gasp, stifling her scream. With shaking hands she turned on her bedside light, and tried to calm her breathing, reminding herself that she was in her room, and safe. She thought that the extra training session with Buffy would make her too tired to dream, obviously that plan had failed. Amy checked her phone. 4am. Sophie was still sleeping, and Amy couldn't bring herself to wake her, she had been exhausted from all that healing.

Quietly Amy slipped out of bed, shrugged on her dressing gown and slippers, and left the room. She wasn't going back to sleep any time soon. After visiting the bathroom, she padded to the kitchen, made herself a cup of hot chocolate, and headed for the library. Maybe she could find a book to read.

To Amy's surprise, Henry was still there, sitting at Caleb's laptop with a book open next to him. He turned at her approach.

“Hi Henry. What are you doing?”

“Research. I thought I would add to Caleb's database.”

He stood, and made his way over to Amy, steering her to a couch.

“Sit down, you're shaking. Another nightmare?”

Amy sighed, sinking into the soft cushions. Henry sat down beside her, a comforting presence.

“Yeah. I wish I could just turn them off or something.”

She sipped her hot chocolate, trying to concentrate on its dark sweetness rather than the squirmy panicky feelings in her stomach.

“Maybe you would benefit from talking to someone about it” Henry suggested. “What do you call them- psychologists?”

Amy sighed. “But how could I be honest? I can't tell them about demons and stuff, can I?”

Henry looked thoughtful. “You could talk to a friend of mine, Father Daniel. He's a priest who has had experience with demons. You could be honest with him, and he's a good listener.”

Amy looked doubtful. “A priest? I'm not Catholic or anything.”

“You don't need to be.”

“I'll think about it” Amy said thoughtfully. “Thanks, Henry.”

Henry gently removed the empty mug from her hands. “Allow me.”

He made his way upstairs to the kitchen, and then to Tom and Ben's door.

“What?” Tom muttered, feeling befuddled as he suddenly blinked into wakefulness.

He blinked a few more times, brushing his blonde curls out of his face, and Henry's face came into focus.

“Amy needs you” Henry murmured into Tom's ear. “She's too stubborn to wake you, but she's had a nightmare, and I need to leave to be home before dawn. Will you go to her?”

Tom sat up, pulling on one of his old jumpers from the floor.

“Of course I will. Thanks for telling me Henry.”

Amy was beginning to feel sleepy again, but she didn't want to go back to bed, the nightmare still felt too close and too real. She shifted uneasily on the couch, wishing Henry would return. Standing up, she wandered over to the bookcases, searching for something to read until it was time to go to work. After a short while she found a shelf of Shakespeare- finally some fiction. She kept looking.

Amy jumped as she felt a light touch on her arm.

“Sorry” Henry apologised softly. “I have to go home Amy, it is nearing dawn.”

Amy's heart sank a little, but she smiled brightly.

“Okay! Thanks for...you know...being here.”

Henry smiled gently. “My pleasure. You won't be alone for long.”

He left the room with a swirl of his coat, and Amy wondered at his cryptic remark. Her wondering was answered almost immediately as Tom entered the library, dressed in a green jumper and grey pyjama pants, blonde curls a mess. He approached Amy at the bookshelves, looking concerned.

“Are you all right? Henry said you had a nightmare.”

Amy leant against him, letting him hug her. She felt both relieved and embarrassed.

“I'm sorry Henry woke you.”

“I'm not” Tom murmured into her hair. “You know you can wake me up when it happens. You'd do the same for me.”

Amy sighed. He had a point.

“It was just so early, I didn't want to make you tired for the day.”

“Well now you know I don't mind, you can wake me up next time, all right?” Tom said firmly, pressing a kiss into her hair.

Amy mumbled in the affirmative, enjoying the hug. She hadn't realised how starved for touch she had been before Tom.

“What do you need right now?” Tom asked.

Amy drew back a little, motioning to the bookshelves.

“Well, I was looking for a book to read.”

Tom hesitated. “Do you want me to...read to you? Maybe my voice will send you to sleep?”

Amy chuckled. “Your voice is anything but boring. That is...a nice idea, actually.”

Amy returned her gaze to the bookshelf, pulling out a slim book, bound in blue. She handed it to Tom, who smiled.

“Good choice.”

 

They walked back to the couch, and Tom sat down at one end, putting a cushion on his lap and giving it an inviting pat. Amy obliged, and when she was settled comfortably, legs stretched out, head lying on the cushion, Tom snagged the throw rug from the top of the couch and pulled it over her.

 

“Well this is cozy” Amy murmured sleepily.

Tom chuckled. “That's the idea. This way, if my reading makes you sleepy, you can just nod off.”

“Sounds good” Amy paused. She was feeling brave in the soft light of the library, enjoying their closeness. “You know, we haven't known each other very long. When did all this start- almost a week ago? I don't think I've ever kissed someone so fast after meeting them.”

Tom hummed an affirmative. “I must say, it's a little unexpected for me too. Is it too fast?”

Amy considered. “I don't think so. I feel like I've known you a lot longer than just a week. I don't usually trust men this quickly.”

“I'm honoured that you feel I'm worthy of that trust” Tom replied quietly, stroking Amy's hair. “I'll try my best not to betray it. Is there anything you're concerned about you want to discuss?”

“Well, I like the kissing. But I think I'd like to stay on that level for a while. Have dates, hang out, kiss. Is that okay?”

Tom bent down and pressed another kiss to the top of her head.

“That sounds smart. We can go as slow as you like, I'm not going anywhere.”

“Thank you.”

“Do you want to talk about your nightmare? Or do you want me to read?”

“Read” Amy said firmly. “Fill my brain with nice things.”

Tom opened the book, and began to read.

"Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. This story is about something that happened to them when they were sent away from London during the war because of the air-raids.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a little short, but it seemed a good place to end the chapter. If you're enjoying it so far, please leave some kudos, or even better, a comment!


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is fluff, magic power stuff AND action. It's all happening in this chapter!

Amy stirred, slowly becoming aware that she was still on the couch, underneath the throw rug. Her head was still pillowed on Tom's lap. One of his hands rested on her back. She turned her head and looked up at him. He was asleep, his blonde curls falling across his cheekbones, mouth slightly open, his face relaxed and smooth.   

Amy was reluctant to move, but her bladder was beginning to protest. She lifted her head off Tom’s lap and sat up, pushing off the blanket. Tom’s eyelids fluttered and he yawned, pushing the curls off his face. 

“G’morning” he smiled, wincing as he moved his head. 

“Sore neck? Sorry” Amy said, feeling guilty. 

“No it’s fine.” 

Amy spread her knees, and patted the space between them.

“Come sit on the floor here, and I’ll fix you up.” 

Tom obeyed, sitting cross-legged on the floor and leaning back against the couch between Amy’s knees. Amy dug her thumbs into his tense shoulder muscles, pressing in slow circles, working her way across and back over the muscles. 

Tom groaned.

“That feels fantastic.” 

Amy grinned, continuing her ministrations.

“I’m good with my hands.” 

Tom chuckled. Amy moved up to his neck for awhile, then up into his curls, massaging his scalp lightly, working her way back down his neck and back onto his shoulders. Tom hummed in contentment, and Amy felt his shoulders and his back against her knees relax. She finished up, stroking her fingers lightly down the back of his neck.

“There you are.” She leaned down and pressed a kiss to his curls. “I’m afraid the bathroom calls.” 

Tom chuckled. “Me too. Thanks for this darling, I feel much better.” 

Amy grinned. “No problem.” 

She went to move, but Tom turned around, uncrossing his legs to kneel between hers. 

“What...” Amy began, but was cut off as Tom curled his hands around her head, pulling her down into a long deep kiss. 

Initial thoughts of morning breath flew out of Amy’s head as she returned the kiss enthusiastically. They were both panting when they finally drew apart, and Amy let out a happy sigh. 

“You know, I never really enjoyed kissing before you. Now...well you know...A plus would kiss again.” 

Tom smiled, looking pleased with himself. 

“That’s quite a compliment.” 

He stood, extending a hand to Amy, and pulled her up.

“I just wanted to give you a pleasant memory to carry around with you at work today.” 

“Well consider that achievement unlocked.” 

They made their way upstairs and found a full, busy kitchen. Ben was cooking bacon and eggs, while Sophie leaned against the counter watching him. Ben leaned over and gave Sophie a quick kiss, handing her a mug of coffee from the bench as she blushed. Caleb was tucking into a bowl of cereal. Buffy and Cassie were chatting while eating Ben’s first lot of bacon and eggs. They all looked up at Amy and Tom’s approach and they were suddenly the focus of a number of amused looks. Amy flashed a grin as she sailed past in her cupcake pyjamas and dressing gown, heading for the bathroom. After dressing she remembered to go through her stretches and combat patterns before joining the others at breakfast. 

Tom and Ben stayed after breakfast and had their practice session, as they had play rehearsals for Hamlet later that night. After they left, Buffy and Caleb went sightseeing, managing to convince Cassie to accompany them to the London Eye. Buffy dragged Cassie out shopping for clothes, while Caleb checked out the electronic store and the British museum. They all met for lunch at Speedy's Cafe. 

Buffy showed Caleb some of the purchases she made while he tried to look interested. Out of the last bag, Buffy pulled out a forest green jumper and tossed it to Caleb. 

“Here, this is for you.” 

“For me?” Caleb said, surprised. “I don't need anything.” 

“I know! I just wanted to get you something. Maybe I'm tired of looking at your three outfits” Buffy teased cheerfully. 

Caleb turned the jumper over in his hands, feeling how soft and warm it was. He was feeling confused, and oddly touched. Is this a thing that friends did, buying each other clothes? His bio mum had bought him clothes once, but he hadn't experienced friends doing it. He wasn't sure what to say. 

“Um, thanks?” He felt his eyes prickle and ducked his head, hiding behind his hair. Well this was embarrassing. 

He had a feeling Cassie noticed, for she stood up, picking up her bags. 

“Thank you for inviting me out with you both today, but I really should be getting back.” 

“Okay” Buffy said agreeably, and by the time they had gathered their shopping, Caleb had regained control of himself. 

Taking some of the girls’ bags, they headed for the station. 

As the day drew to a close, Amy and Sophie arrived at HQ, with Henry escorting them. Caleb made everyone tacos for dinner and after it had settled they all headed to the gym for a practice session.

Buffy ran them through their stretches and basic combat practice (Henry looked on), then divided the group. 

Amy stayed with Buffy in the gym, practising sparring hand to hand. The rest of the group made their way outside to the dark, overgrown park.  

“We're going to practise your early warning system” Cassie explained, after Henry had run them through some more combat, slowing down his movements to human speed. 

She sat down on the grass and indicated that they do the same. Henry kept standing. 

“I’m keeping watch while you work” he explained, looking poised and elegant in his long grey coat. 

“Sophie, use your spirit power to make you aware of our auras in the park.” 

Sophie nodded, and concentrated for a moment. It took her less than a second to do it now, and she felt a small glow at her improvement. The others were suddenly outlined in shifting colours that danced about their bodies. 

“Ok. Now what?” 

Cassie turned to Caleb, who was sitting cross-legged next to Sophie. 

“Your earth power is always humming away in the background for you, working passively. You are already subconsciously aware of the earth, I need you to intensify it, make it more present. Concentrate on how the earth is feeling, and intensify it.” 

“Okay.” Caleb shut his eyes, brushing his hair back away from his face as he concentrated. 

Humming was a good word to describe it he thought distantly, as he concentrated. It felt like a quiet hum in the back of his mind, something he only noticed when he concentrated on it. He felt humming become more of a melody full of slow deep notes, and he was filled with the feelings of the park- everything was quiet and sleepy, content in their overgrown state. A small prickling of life across the surface as a small animal hunted for dinner. A strange, but not uncomfortable lack of life where Henry was standing- on the earth but not part of it. The girls were bright harmonic notes. 

“Got it” he said, opening his eyes, but keeping the notes present in his head. 

“Now you need to connect your powers. Connect them, and expand outwards as far as you can. This isn’t something I can direct- you need to figure out how to mesh yourselves. It’s too individual for me to help with.” 

Sophie turned to Caleb, holding out her hand.

“Hold my hand?” she suggested. “It might help.” 

Part of Sophie was quietly surprised at her forwardness, she couldn’t imagine saying it to someone in another circumstance. She realised that her power was an area where she was starting to feel pretty confident in. Well, that was interesting. 

Caleb nodded, taking her hand gently and lacing his fingers through hers. He was feeling a little detached, with the songs of living things so loud in his head. They both stared at each other, seeking the other’s power. 

Sophie could see Caleb’s aura swirling lazily around him. There was something extra in it from the last time she had looked. There was a soft green light, moving at a different pace from his other colours. It had thin green tendrils drifted out lazily, all around Caleb’s body. Some of the green tendrils were touching the earth, other just floating in the air. She imagined her power as soft white tendrils, drifting out from her body to touch the green ones where their hands met. 

Caleb looked at Sophie with his power. He tried to move the hum of his power towards her, through his hand into hers. After a second, he thought he could hear an answering melody from her. He closed his eyes. Yes there were two songs. He pictured his and her songs melding together. 

Suddenly they both felt a small jolt, and their powers felt stronger. Caleb felt his earth melody joined by a high sweet harmony. Sophie could see her white threads mixed together with Caleb’s green tendrils. They focused outwards, pushing their power, willing it to expand outwards in a circular shape. 

Sophie felt the many auras of the people in the houses and buildings around the park, Caleb felt the earth, bits of polluted earth, the roads and concrete felt different to the park ground, interesting. He could feel the people too, in the ways they walked on the earth, or the parts of backyard gardens polluted with pesticides...They kept pushing out, and managed to sense a couple of blocks all around them before they grew too tired and carefully untangled their powers, pulling them back inside. 

Sophie and Caleb grinned at each other, flushed with their success, and Cassie smiled. 

“Great work. I could sense when you were pushing out- you did really well for a first time. You’ll get more stamina with practice, as with anything.” 

She checked her watch.

“It’s getting late, we should head back inside.” 

Henry checked his own watch.

“I’m willing to escort anyone home who needs it, otherwise I’ll go and meet the boys at the theatre and see them home safely.” 

“Let’s go and see how Amy and Buffy are going” Sophie suggested, giving Caleb a hand up from the ground. 

Amy and Buffy was ready to stop, and the team retired to bed early, while Henry went to meet the boys. A productive day for the team, Henry thought. Perhaps they would be successful this time around too.

 

****************

 

Tom and Ben left their improv class, heading down the stairs for their lunch break. Tom pulled his copy of Hamlet out of his bag, trying to read it and navigate the stairs. 

“You're going to fall on your face one of these days, and I'll be here to take pictures” Ben teased. 

Tom grinned. “You live in hope.” 

“I'm off to meet Sophie for lunch. You want to come with me?” 

Tom looked wistful. “I'd like to, but I really want to get my head around Act III....” 

“Say no more. Alright, I'll see you later.” 

Ben left the front entrance and hit the pavement, feeling happy. A lunch break spent in Sophie's company was something to look forward to. He was glad that her uni was so close to RADA. 

Amy stretched and yawned, wondering if she could be bothered finding a vending machine with some Pepsi. She had research to do this afternoon, and a lecture power-point to double check for tomorrow. Her colleagues all had tutorials now, only Amy and Sophie had their lunch break scheduled. Sophie was currently checking her hair and lipstick with her compact, looking a little nervous. She glanced at her desk, and groaned. 

“Argh I have to run this over to student admin, I forgot. Amy, Ben is on his way here to meet me for lunch, can you let him know I'll be back in 15 at the latest?” 

Amy chuckled. “Ah, that explains the primping. Sure, I'll tell him. I've got marking to do so I'll be eating in today.” 

Sophie tossed her a quick smile, ignoring the jibe.

“Thanks. See you in a bit.” 

Amy got up and pulled her long purple cardigan out of her bag to put on. Today was casual Friday, and she was dressed in a dark red Firefly t-shirt over galaxy print leggings. Casual Fridays were her favourite fashion day. Pulling her lunch out of her bag, she sat back at her desk and made quick work of her sandwich as she pulled up the articles she needed to read on her computer. A little while later, she heard a tentative knock on the door. She turned around, expecting to see Ben open it and walk in, but instead she saw Stephen, from Political Science. He was carrying another bundle of papers. He looked around, and Amy smiled to herself as his face fell. 

“Hi Stephen. Sorry, Lucy isn't here at the moment, she has a tute.” 

Stephen looked sheepish.

“Am I that obvious?” 

Amy laughed. “Yes. Don't worry, your interest is returned, I'd say.” 

Stephen smiled shyly.

“Well I actually do have notes to leave with someone...Sophie's not here either?” 

Amy sprung up and walked over to him, holding out her arms.

“She'll be back soon. You can leave them with me if you like, or you can come back in a couple of hours, Lucy should be there then?” 

Stephen smiled. “That's okay, I'll leave them with you.” 

He placed the papers in Amy's waiting arms, and as she received them she heard a 'snick' and felt something hard and cold close around her wrist. Amy jerked as a strange tingly feeling rushed through her body, and she dropped the papers. Looking down she could see a silver band of metal wrapped around her wrist. 

“What the hell?” 

Amy wasn't sure what was going on, but this was weird, and weird usually wasn't good at the moment. She backed away from Stephen, who was no longer looking sheepish or shy. His shoulders straightened, soft grey eyes turned hard and cold, along with his expression. 

“What's going on?” Amy demanded. 

Stephen smiled coldly.

“Try using your powers, Amy.” 

Crap. Amy's mind worked furiously. 

“So you're with the Order then.” 

Stephen just watched her. Amy noticed that he had closed the door on his way in, blocking them from view. Fine. He was just one guy, she could take him. She called fire to her hand. At least, she tried to, but it felt like there was a wall between her and her power. An instant wave of nausea shot through her body, and Amy let out a gasp, swaying on her feet. This was not good. 

“The other mages kept trying to overwhelm you with numbers, or clever monsters. I'm smarter than that. I worked on a way to block your powers so I would have nothing to fight. Effective, wouldn't you say?” 

Amy ignored him. She tried calling her sword. It wasn't the same thing as her powers, so maybe it would work...she hit the same wall, the same nausea, and nearly threw up. Stephen sniggered. 

“Why on earth would you try this during the day, when everyone is going to see you? There's no way you're getting out of here unnoticed. Killing me will totally blow your cover.” 

“I never said I was going to kill you. Luckily for you, our Master has finally decided that you are better kept alive. For now.” 

He lunged for her, and Amy jumped back, moving closer to her desk. She grabbed the nearest thing to hand, throwing it at his head. He jumped to one side, looking surprised. 

“You may have blocked my magic, but that's not the only thing I have” Amy said angrily, throwing everything she could pick up. 

She was still looking for something to use as a weapon, but there was nothing suitable. Time to use Buffy's hand-to-hand training then. Stephen may be a mage, but he was still just one scrawny guy. She only had to keep him too busy to cast any spells. Amy brought her hands up and faced Stephen. He raised a hand and began to mutter something, She kicked him in the chest, knocking him back a little and cutting off what he was about to say. He snarled, and tried to throw a punch. Amy moved into his personal space, deflecting his arm with her forearm and slammed her other hand into his nose. Stephen's head snapped back, and Amy jabbed her knee into his groin. He went down, nose bleeding profusely. 

Amy ran for the door, he wouldn't try anything in public she thought. She needed to head Sophie off before she came back. She pulled open the door, and ran into a tall large body, knocking the wind out of her. She staggered back, and a large man followed her in to the room, shutting the door behind him. He had short brown hair, hard brown eyes and a forbidding expression. Amy backed up, trying to avoid both the new man, and Stephen, who was beginning to rise from the floor, holding his nose. 

“Grab her!” Stephen hissed, grabbing a hanky out of his jacket pocket to hold to his nose. 

Amy had backed up to her desk, wondering if she had time to grab her phone from her bag. No, the big guy was moving too fast. He made a grab for her arm, Amy twisted out of the way and tried to kick his knee. He blocked her and grabbed her leg, jerking her off balance towards him. Amy started falling forward, the big guy moved past her and pulled her back into his body. He wrapped his large arms around her, pinning her arms to her sides, and lifting Amy slightly off the ground so she couldn't get any leverage. 

Amy tried to kick his shins, but he sat back on the top of her desk, wrapping his legs around hers, avoiding her head as she tried to snap it back into his face. Panic began to build as she realised she was pinned, and she had a sudden flashback of how it felt being helpless as the tentacles sucked her life away...Amy shook her head, trying to come back to the moment. She could deal with this. It was just humans, no tentacles in sight. Focus. 

Stephen moved towards her and back handed her across the face. 

“Bitch!” 

Amy huffed a weak laugh.

“Really? Worth it. Your face looks terrible.” 

There came a tentative knock at the door, it opened and Ben stuck his head in. The guy holding Amy clamped a hand over her mouth. 

“Hi Sophie? What...” 

His face froze at he took in the scene, then he was pushed through the doorway and into the floor by a third man, who quickly slammed the door shut with his foot and straddled Ben, pinning his arms across his back. Stephen was already moving over there, pulling another metal band out of his pocket and clipping it around Ben's narrow wrist. Amy tried to wriggle free, but the man still had her pinned, though he'd taken his hand off her mouth now that Ben was subdued. She considered screaming, but wasn't sure if it would help. She didn't want innocent civilian casualties.

The other man pulled Ben up by his arms and held him still. Ben's face suddenly paled dramatically, and Amy knew he had tried his powers. 

“It blocks our powers” Amy said, staring daggers at Stephen. 

Stephen looked surprised, but pleased.

“I had planned to take both the girls, but you're an acceptable substitute” he mused, pulling a slim case out of his jacket pocket, and opening it to reveal two syringes. 

Amy tensed, trying to restrain a shudder. She hated needles. 

“I still don't see how you're going to get us past the general public” Amy said, trying to sound calm. 

Ben looked over at her, eyes narrowing as he took in her bloody lip.

“You alright?” 

Amy nodded. “Yep, he was just pissed about his nose.” 

Ben smirked. “Nice one.” 

Stephen tensed, an angry look crossing his face. He was easy to annoy, Amy pondered. She'd have to keep that in mind. Stephen made his way over to her, the first syringe in his hand. Amy tried to kick him as he approached, but she couldn't get her legs out from under the stronger legs that had her tangled up. Stephen grabbed her wrist and pinned her arm down, flicking it hard and bringing the needle in at an angle to her arm. 

“This will hurt, just so you know” Stephen sneered, watching Amy's face. 

“Leave her alone!” Ben yelled, struggling. 

The needle sunk in, and as the syringe depressed, Amy felt the liquid burning up her arm. She let out a reluctant whimper. It felt like liquid fire burning its way along her veins. 

“What is it?” she gasped. 

“Something to keep you quiet and pliable for our trip” Stephen replied, looking gleeful. 

He retrieved the second syringe and moved over to Ben, who was still fighting the big guy's hold. The man finally grabbed one of Ben's arms at the elbow, pulling it back out straight and using it as leverage, forced Ben to his knees. Ben bit his lip, trying to not whimper at the pain throbbing up his arm. Stephen flicked the arm that the man had stretched out, and gave Ben his shot. 

He packed up the case and put it back in his jacket pocket, then felt around in Ben's coat pocket until he found Ben's phone, which he tossed to the ground. He went back to Amy and patted her down looking for any pockets. Amy squirmed. 

“It's in my bag you jerk” she snapped. “I don't have any pockets.” 

Stephen ignored her, spending some time making sure. He used his hanky and some spit to clean the blood off his face, and zipped up his jacket to hide the stains on his shirt. He turned to give them both stern looks. 

“We're leaving now, and if you attempt to warn anyone, or draw attention to us, you will be responsible for their deaths. I don't particularly want to blow my cover, but if you try it, I won't hesitate to do it. Understand?” 

“Yes” Ben and Amy muttered, resentfully. 

Stephen opened the door, and left them for a moment. Suddenly, the loud sound of the fire alarm started echoing throughout the building. He came back inside, looking smug. They all waited in silence, as people started leaving rooms and filling up the hallways. Ben's phone beeped with a text alert noise, which was ignored. Amy's mind raced, trying to think of something she could do. At least with all the objects she had thrown, and the papers she dropped, it would be obvious to Sophie that something had happened, and she would contact the others. Amy shifted uneasily, as she started feeling dizzy, and her legs wobbly. 

Stephen nodded to his two minions. The one holding Ben released his arm, and pulled him to his feet, keeping a hand pressed to the small of Ben's back. The guy holding Amy released her legs and slid off the desk, wrapping an arm around her waist. 

“Remember what I said” Stephen said, glaring at Ben and Amy. “We're all taking a nice walk to the car park.” 

They moved out into the crowd of students and teachers, making their way along the corridor, heading for the nearest exit door. As they walked Amy was finding it harder to remain upright, and the guy with his arm around her was having to support more of her weight. She was still thinking, trying to push through the cloud fogging up her thoughts. 

They headed outside and made for the car park. Amy finally thought of something. She rubbed her lip, getting blood on her fingers, then reached up her hand on the side opposite the guy holding her and pulled out her rainbow hair clip. Holding it in her hand, she waited for the right moment. The group slowed as they approached a nondescript white van. Making sure no one was watching, Amy let the clip drop on the ground. If any of the team thought to look out here, Sophie would know the clip was hers, and her blood on it would help Henry spot it. She then slumped as all the tension left her limbs. Stupid drugs. 

The back of the van was opened, and Ben and Amy were pushed in, one of the big guys climbing in with them. Amy dimly heard the doors shut, and that was the last thing she remembered, as she sank into unconsciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I wrote the last half of this chapter before writing the first. The kidnap scene has been demanding to be written for a long time, and finally it just got so loud in my head that I had to get it out. Then I had to fill in what happened before it, not the usual way I write things but oh well.
> 
> As per usual, leave kudos if you like and a quick comment is even better. :-)


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team tries to figure out what happened to Amy and Ben. Investigating, magic, angst and fluff ensue.

The fire alarm sounded, and Sophie almost growled with frustration. She was about halfway back to her office, but the fire drill rules required a change of direction- their set of buildings had to empty out at the sports oval. As she headed for the nearest exit with the rest of the students and staff, she pulled out her phone and typed a quick text to Ben. 

Hi Ben. So, fire alarm. Meet me

at the oval closest to the

history building? Sorry about

this! See you soon? xx  

Sophie waited in the car park for hours. No one could go back inside until the fire fighters had arrived and checked everywhere, and there was a lot of everywhere to check. As lunchtime turned into late afternoon, the professors decided the day was a wash, and sent the students home. Sophie tried calling Amy and Ben’s phones, but they didn’t answer. She supposed they may have left them behind when they were caught up in the fire drill. But where were they? Why hadn’t Ben turned up at the oval? Sophie wondered miserably if Ben had even made it to the uni. Maybe he didn’t want to go to lunch, and was still at RADA, in a class with his phone off. After all, why would he bother coming all this way just to go out with her for lunch? She touched the necklace Ben had given her, and told her brain sternly to shut up, but the niggling doubt persisted, along with a sense of unease. 

Finally the fire department were satisfied that the buildings were safe, and the staff filed back inside around dusk. Sophie was the only one left from her staff room, the others had given up on waiting and gone home. Sophie pushed the door open and stepped inside. She froze as she looked around. A pile of papers were strewn across the carpet. Various objects littered the floor- a stapler, notepads, a water bottle, a pencil case. As Sophie moved over to her and Amy’s desks, she could see the contents pushed around. Amy’s bag was on the ground. Bending over it, Sophie spotted Amy’s phone. Her sense of unease increased. She rang Ben’s phone, and heard it in the room. Quickly finding it on the floor against the wall, Sophie let her shaky legs give way, and slid down the wall to rest on the carpet. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. 

Punching the keys with a shaky hand, she rang Tom. To her relief, he answered. 

“Hey Sophie.” 

“Tom!” her voice cracked. She swallowed, and tried again. “Is Ben with you?” 

Tom’s voice sounded puzzled.

“No, I thought he was with you. He’s missed his afternoon classes.” 

“Something is wrong! We had a fire alarm but there was no fire, and Ben was supposed to meet me but he never showed, and now I’m back at the staffroom and there’s stuff everywhere and Amy and Ben’s phones are here and they’re gone and I feel like something is wrong!” Sophie babbled, trying to quell the rising hysteria. She needed to pull it together. 

“Hey, hey Sophie, it’s all right love. Look, I’ll ring the others and come right over, yeah?” Tom said, sounding gentle and concerned. “I felt a bit...well I thought it was nothing, but now you’re ringing...I feel a bit uneasy myself. Hang in there, I’ll be there soon.” 

Sophie hung up the phone, not feeling any better, but more focused. The team would come, and they would help. Her best friend and...her boyfriend? Would be okay. They had to be okay.   

She stood up, noticing her whole body was shaking now. When had she last eaten? Morning tea? Picking her way carefully across the floor, she opened the staff room bar fridge and pulled out yoghurt and an apple. Sophie couldn’t feel less like eating right now, but she knew she needed to. Sitting in her chair, she slowly ate her food, each mouthful tasting like cardboard. But after a little while, her shaking started subsiding and she felt more alert. Good. Her phone beeped and she glanced at it. It was a text from Caleb. 

Tom called. Buffy and I are on

our way. Henry too. Let us know

if anything changes. Try not to

worry. 

Sophie huffed a laugh at the last line, feeling a little better. She tossed the apple core and yoghurt container in the bin, and moved over to the pile of paper on the floor. She wasn’t going to move anything until the others had seen the room, but she thought she could at least look at the top sheet. Hmmm. Looks like it came from Political Science. If Stephen had been over with papers again, why were they all on the floor? 

The door was suddenly flung open and Tom came rushing in, stopping short as he saw the mess. 

“Sophie! Are you okay?” 

Sophie looked up, saw his worried face, and burst into tears. Tom made his way over to her, avoiding the mess, and enfolded her carefully in his arms, rubbing her back until her sobs had subsided. Finally Sophie drew back, sniffling. Tom offered her his hanky. 

“Thanks” Sophie wiped her eyes. “Sorry about that.” 

Tom gave her a smile. “That’s quite all right. I feel pretty close to doing that, myself. So this is how you found it?” 

Sophie was grateful for his subject change. “Yes. It’s a mess, right? It doesn’t look like this normally. Most of the things on the floor came from Amy’s desk. Their phones and Amy’s bag are here. The papers seem to come from Political Science. There’s a guy there that has a crush on one of our staff, and he comes over with papers pretty regularly. I don’t know why they’re on the floor though.” 

Tom nodded, making his way around the room, looking at everything. He glanced at Amy’s computer. 

“This is still on, looks like articles?” 

“Yeah Amy had stuff to read this afternoon.” 

Tom picked up a small wad of gladwrap from the desk.

“Was this from her lunch? She must have had time to eat it then.” 

“I left the room at lunch time; I had an errand to run before meeting Ben back here. Then the fire alarm went off and I had to leave the building. Ben and Amy never showed.” 

“So you leave, Amy eats her lunch, Ben arrives at the staff room. With them both missing, it makes more sense that they were taken together” Tom mused. 

It was a shock hearing Tom say it out loud, but what else could have happened? Something or someone took them. They would never leave their phones behind, the room a mess. 

“Did they find a fire?” Tom inquired, spinning a pen restlessly through his fingers. 

Sophie shook her head. “No. Are you thinking...” 

“....that the fire alarm is involved? Yes, don’t you? The timing is awfully convenient.” 

Sophie nodded slowly. “You’re right. So it was a distraction?” 

“That’s my theory. What I don’t understand, is why is there no evidence of them having used their powers? How were they taken in the first place?” 

Sophie sighed. “I have no idea. That’s a good point though.” 

“We’re assuming The Order is involved though, yes?” a new voice commented, and Henry stepped through the doorway. 

His expression was forbidding, but Sophie didn’t think his anger was directed at her. She told Henry of their speculations as he prowled around. He stopped dead in the middle of the room, nostrils flaring. 

“There is blood” he growled. 

Sophie’s heart leapt up into her throat.

“Whose?” she asked, trembling. 

Tom’s face turned pale and he ran a shaking hand through his curls, tugging on them in agitation. Henry bent down, and showed them a couple of faint flecks on the carpet. He breathed in deeply. 

“This is Amy’s.” Seeing Sophie and Tom’s faces, he hastened to add “I think it’s only a small injury, there is only a small amount of blood.” 

His nostrils flared again, and Henry moved a little closer to the door.

“There is some here, but not Amy or Ben. Someone else. Human. There’s more here than Amy.” 

“Someone else was taken?” Tom asked. 

“Or they were involved in taking Amy and Ben” Henry said. “We don’t know who works for The Order.” 

Tom’s phone rang, he looked down.

“It’s Buffy.” He put it to his ear. “Yes?” 

“Hey, we’re nearly there. Fill me in on what you’ve got so far, it will save time.” 

Tom chatted to Buffy while Henry and Sophie kept looking for clues. Sophie felt better, having them there. Finally she sat in her chair and just waited. She needed them to be all together. Buffy would know what to do. Finally, Tom hung up his phone and Sophie heard approaching voices. Caleb and Buffy entered. 

“Where’s Cassie?” Sophie asked. 

“She’s ringing the other seers, trying to find out if anyone has had any visions of Amy and Ben” Caleb said, looking around the room. “Wow, this is a mess.” 

“I take it _she_ hasn’t had any visions of Amy and Ben” Tom commented, fiddling anxiously with his phone. 

“Afraid not” Buffy said sympathetically. “Don’t worry, we’ll find them.” 

“And then I will make some people very unhappy” Henry muttered darkly. 

“And I will help you” Caleb said grimly. 

“Okay, so let’s try and retrace their steps” Buffy said firmly. “So from what Tom has told me, we think Ben made it to the staffroom, and got to Amy.” She looked around at the floor. “You know, this looks to me like this stuff was thrown. It’s scattered too far from the desks to be just knocked off.” 

“You think they were throwing stuff at their attackers?” Tom asked. “Why wouldn’t they just use their powers?” 

“I don’t know. It doesn’t make any sense. It was a smart move, going for them during the day. They wouldn’t have expected that. I didn’t expect that.” 

Sophie tried to think more objectively, like Buffy was doing.

“If they attacked them in here, during the day, then they couldn’t have had any demons with them, right? Not in front of everyone around the uni.” 

Buffy looked impressed. “Yeah you’re right.” 

“So they faced only humans, and didn’t use their powers for some reason” Henry mused. 

“I wish I knew why” Tom sighed, pulling at his curls again. His hair was beginning to look a mess. 

Caleb walked over to Amy’s desk.

“Let’s imagine it then. Amy is here, someone comes to the door, maybe Ben? Then someone else comes. For some reason they can’t use their powers. So that leaves...looking around for anything to use as a weapon. So they threw stuff at them, maybe fought hand to hand?” 

“If they were fighting a human, or humans from The Order, it stands to reason one of them was a mage” Tom broke in. “Maybe they were throwing things to break their concentration, like Ben did with the arrows that time we fought the snake demons?” 

“Good point” Buffy said approvingly. “Ok Henry, tell us about the blood.” 

Henry rose to his full height, swishing his coat as he moved to the centre of the room. Sophie stifled a giggle. 

“There are two types. One was Amy’s, one was another human.” 

Sophie indicated the papers on the floor. “These papers probably came from a guy who works in the Political Science department- but I’m not sure how he fits in.” 

“How long have you known him?” Buffy said, looking thoughtful. 

“Um...Stephen, maybe a week? He has a crush on one of the staff and he’s always making excuses to come visit...” Sophie trailed off. 

“We got our powers a week ago” Tom said quietly. 

Buffy nodded. “Yeah, that’s suspicious. Where’s his office?” 

“I can take you there” Sophie replied, moving to the door. 

She led the others over to Political Science, but the office yielded nothing useful. They couldn’t even find a copy of Stephen’s address or phone number. 

“That’s definitely suspicious” Buffy commented. 

They walked back to Sophie’s office. 

“So let’s assume that Stephen was involved, and they were taken...is this where the fire alarm comes in?” Caleb asked. 

Sophie nodded. “Tom and I think it was a distraction.” 

“Where do you evacuate to during a fire alarm?” Buffy queried. 

“The oval closest to the building” Sophie answered. “That’s where I went, but Ben and Amy never showed up.” 

“They would have used a vehicle of some sort to move them, I would think” Henry commented. “Where is the closest car park?” 

“Pretty much the opposite direction from the oval” Sophie answered. “That explains it then. No one would have noticed them.” 

“Take us to the nearest one” Buffy ordered Sophie. 

Sophie led the way, and soon they were standing in a mostly empty car park. She saw Henry tense up, then move over to a patch of asphalt and crouch down. 

“Here” he murmured, and the others joined him. 

He held up his hand, and in his long fingers the others saw a rainbow hair clip, smeared with blood. Tom sucked in a sharp breath, clenching his fists. 

“That’s...that’s Amy’s” Sophie said quietly. 

“They were here, then” Buffy commented. 

Sophie wondered what her plan was now. They couldn’t track them in a vehicle. She saw Caleb move over close to the uni buildings, searching for something. 

“Guys? Over here!” 

They joined him, and he pointed to a small camera at the top of the wall. 

“Security camera. It would have seen them.” 

“Great- where is the security office?” Buffy said, looking excited. 

Beginning to feel like a tour guide, Sophie led them on a walk, until they finally arrived at a small building. 

“Let me handle this” Henry murmured with a wicked smile, and entered the building. 

He looked around at a large room, with a counter. Behind the counter was a door leading to another room. Henry couldn’t see anyone, but he could hear two voices conversing in the other room. He was alone for now, which was what he wanted. Letting the smile drop, he turned to face the wall. He allowed his eyes to turn black, his fangs come down- and let himself feel the burning rage boiling through his veins, the rage he had been keeping under strict control from the first time he had smelled Amy’s blood. How dare they take his humans! Henry knew things were different in the modern world, but he had been raised in a court, raised to look after and take responsibility for the people that owed him fealty. Amy and Ben were his to look after. His subjects...no, his friends. He knew they wouldn’t see it that way, but it made no difference to his feelings. Henry knew being angry wouldn’t change anything, but he allowed himself this moment. They would prevail, and he was looking forward to the opportunity to make his feelings clear to The Order. No one takes what he cares about, and lives to tell about it. 

The door opened suddenly and Caleb slipped inside.

“Henry..I” he stopped short as Henry turned his face to the door. “Woah...what’s up?” He took a cautious step forward, placing his hand on Henry’s coat sleeve and lowering his voice. “Tone it down dude. Do you know you’re growling?” 

Startled, Henry realised he was. He ran a hand through his hair, closing his eyes and regaining his composure with some effort. 

“My apologies.” 

Caleb looked concerned. “Are you all right? Um, have you...fed tonight?” 

“Why- are you offering?” Henry purred, grateful for the opening Caleb gave him. 

Caleb opened his mouth to say something, stopped, and shook his head.

“Don’t think that’ll distract me Henry. What’s going on? I...we need you not to lose it right now.” 

Henry sighed. “I am fine Caleb. No, I have not eaten, but I can keep control until an opportunity presents itself later. I am just...angry. I care for Amy and Ben, and I want to hurt those that hurt them very badly.” 

Caleb’s eyes softened. “Well yeah, we all do. That’s why we’re here. I thought I should come with you, I know what we’re looking for. You do your magic thing, I’ll watch.” 

Henry’s lips quirked. “My magic thing?” 

“Oh I’m sorry, does it have a fancy name?” Caleb teased. “Vampacadabra?” He wiggled his fingers and finished with a flourish. 

Henry laughed out loud, and the sound brought a middle-aged man in a security uniform out to the counter. 

“Can I help you?”   

Henry smiled, and glided over to the man at the desk, leaning into his personal space and capturing his gaze. Blue eyes bled to black. 

“Yes you can. You are eager to help me in any capacity. Which of you is the most skilled at retrieving camera footage?” 

The man looked pleased, brown eyes warm. “That’s me! I’m the best at it. Want me to check something? No problem at all mate.” 

“Excellent” Henry smiled. “Firstly, I wish to meet your colleague- would you bring him out, please?” 

“Sure, of course.” 

The man hurried into the other room and brought out a second, younger man. He moved over to Henry, looking uncertain. 

“May I help you with something?” 

“Yes. You need to go on a patrol of the university grounds right now. Do not return until an hour has passed.” 

The man nodded, and left. Caleb watched Henry, fascinated. This was the first time he’d seen the vampire use his ability close up. It was a little unsettling. Henry turned to him. 

“You may bring Buffy, Sophie and Tom in now, and meet us in the back room. I’ll get our friend started.” 

“Okay. Ask him for the footage between eleven am and six pm, in the car park near the history building.” 

Henry nodded.

“Did you hear that...” he checked the man’s name badge “...Aamir?” 

Aamir nodded, smiling.

“That would be easy. Follow me.” 

Caleb went to fetch the others as Henry followed Aamir behind the counter into the back room. Soon they were all assembled in the back room watching Aamir sit down at the computer. 

“The car park near the history building, you said? There’s a couple of cameras there.” 

“Could we see the one that looks over the main entrance to the building first?” Caleb said, stepping up to look over his shoulder. 

Aamir looked at Henry, who nodded. 

“Sure. Our cameras record straight onto a hard drive, so I just need to bring it up...look up on that screen up there” he pointed to a larger screen set in the wall. 

The image was little grainy, but the daylight helped light the area. Aamir fast forwarded through 10am, 11am, various people were going in and out. 

“Stop, just let it play normally now” Caleb said, watching the screen intently. 

They all waited and watched. Around 1.15 there was a halt in the people traffic going in and out. 

“Was that when the fire alarm went off?” Caleb queried. 

Aamir nodded. “Yeah. We had to evacuate too. Such a pain in the ass.” 

“They really planned this well” Sophie said quietly. Her voice caught a little on the words, and Tom put a comforting arm around her shoulders and gave her a little squeeze. Buffy watched the screen intently, her mouth a tight line of determination. 

“Wait- there!” Tom burst out. “Slow it down. Someone’s coming out.” 

The camera was looking side on to the figures moving slowly into the car park. Stephen was first, and Sophie gasped. 

“That’s Stephen! The guy from Political Science.” 

“And working for the Order, it seems” Buffy said grimly. 

Amy was out next. Tom clenched his fists uselessly as he saw how she struggled to stay upright, the large guy holding her up with an arm around her waist. Sophie sucked in a nervous breath as she saw Ben stumbling out with another guy supporting him. They watched them head into the car park. Henry’s sharper eyes picked out a detail. 

“That’s when Amy dropped her clip, did you see how she touched her lip, then her hair? Clever of her. She was hoping I’d smell it.” 

“She was smearing blood on it? That means one of them hurt her” Tom growled. 

“I think there was something...can you go back and replay it?” Caleb asked. 

Aamir obliged, and Caleb pointed to the screen.

“There. See the shiny thing? Ben and Amy both have something on their wrist.” 

Sophie looked closer.

“Huh. I don’t remember Amy wearing anything like that.” 

Tom leaned in. “No, Ben wasn’t either.” 

“Hmm. That could be something” Buffy said. She turned to Aamir. “Can you zoom in on it or something?” 

Aamir shook his head. “I could, but it won’t make the image any sharper. What you see is what you get.” 

Henry had Aamir pause the video, and took a close look.

“It looks like a bracelet of some sort” he said finally. 

“The way they are moving, looks like they’re drugged or drunk or something” Caleb added. 

Henry tried not to think too hard about his friends being hurt or drugged, since he didn’t want to lose his composure in front of everyone. Caleb shot him a concerned look, and Henry felt irritated. Since when had that boy started being able to read him?   

They continued to watch as their friends were driven away in the white van, which backed out and left the camera’s line of sight. 

“Can you get a license plate?” Caleb queried. 

Aamir shook his head again. “Sorry mate. The cameras aren’t that powerful.” 

Buffy sighed.

“I guess we’re done here then. Let’s print out a screen capture of them in the car park, take it home and show Cassie. Maybe it will trigger a vision.” 

It was a sombre group that travelled to HQ. Sophie felt that everything was duller without Amy’s energy and cheerfulness, and she missed Ben’s warm smile that he gave when he saw her. Tom had a permanent furrow in his forehead as he stared out the train window. Henry stood, leaning against a window with what looked like casual elegance, but Sophie could see his body thrumming with tension. Buffy paced the train carriage, unable to sit still. Caleb held the photo, staring at it intently as if expecting it to divulge all its secrets. 

They trudged slowly up the hallway, slumping into couches in the library when they saw Cassie was sitting there. She looked up hopefully. 

“Anything?” 

Buffy brought her up to speed, showing her the photo. Cassie gazed at it, and shook her head. 

“Nothing yet. All the seers that I called haven’t had any specific visions, just a sense of foreboding. I haven’t had any yet either.” She looked frustrated. “I’m sorry. I wish I was more helpful. I’m arranging for a team of witches to be available on short notice, so we have some back-up when the time comes.” 

“But the time is coming soon, right?” Caleb said. “Tomorrow, at midnight- if they copy the original summoning.” 

Cassie nodded. Her brown face was drawn and tired, frizzy hair escaping from her plait. She slumped back in the chair, wearily brushing the blonde hairs out of her face. 

“I’ve ordered pizza for you all- it’s upstairs.” 

“I’m not really hungry” Sophie began, and Buffy interrupted her with a stern look. 

“No. I know you’re worried, but you need to eat something. We all do. We’ll need the energy to go rescue them later.” 

She chivvied them all up the stairs, and bullied them into eating something, even Sophie. After a while Cassie stumbled off to bed, closely followed by Buffy- who gave Sophie a hug before she left.

“We are going to find them, and we will rescue them” she said firmly. “I have faced worse odds, and won before.” 

Sophie smiled, appreciating Buffy’s attempt, even if she didn’t feel the same. She pushed the leftover pizza around on her plate, avoiding the eyes of the boys. She felt useless, and she hated it. Tom let out a sigh, and Sophie looked up. Tom looked terrible, and she felt a little guilty. She was not the only one worried about her best friend and someone she cared deeply about. 

“I just...I don’t know if I can go to sleep right now” Tom admitted. “I can’t stop thinking. Imagining all the worst case scenarios...” 

Sophie put her hands over Tom’s and gave them a quick squeeze, wishing she had the courage to give him a hug. She wasn’t ready for bed either. Making a decision, she stood up and caught Caleb’s hand. 

“Look, I know Cassie said it wouldn’t help ‘cos it’s too wide an area, but could we try our warning system? Try and detect Amy and Ben’s auras?” 

Caleb smiled. “Sure. I know I’ll feel better having at least tried something.” 

“I’m coming with you” Tom said, and Henry unfolded himself from the kitchen bench he’d been leaning against. 

“As am I.” 

Sophie led them to the training gym, and took a seat on one of the couches in the tv area. Caleb sat down beside her. Tom and Henry took a seat opposite them. Sophie took Caleb’s hands in hers. 

“Like we practised in the park? Think of Ben and Amy’s auras, and look for them as we sense outwards.” 

Caleb nodded, and closed his eyes. He thought about Ben and Amy, and how they sounded to his earth sense, pulling tendrils of green energy from himself and sending them across to Sophie. Amy was a cheerful melody, with bright harmonic notes. Ben was a strong and steady bass melody, peppered with sweet mischievous treble notes. He pushed out to connect with Sophie’s sweet song. 

Sophie kept her eyes open, and thought of Ben and Amy’s colours. Ben was mainly aqua blue, Amy was mainly vivid purple. Sophie saw Caleb’s green tendrils seeking her, and she sent out her white strands to meet him. They met and intertwined, and pushed her senses outwards. She could hear melodies, and though she had never heard them before, she immediately identified them as Ben and Amy. Her colours mixed into the songs, and Caleb’s hands twitched in hers. 

“Hey I can see their colours” he said quietly, loath to break their concentration. 

“I can hear their songs” Sophie replied, just as quietly. 

Tom and Henry were staring at them, staying quiet and straining to see or hear anything. Tom reached inside himself and ‘held’ his power, and he kept catching glimpses of colours around the pair, and faint snatches of notes. If Tom hadn’t been so worried about Amy and Ben, he would have been fascinated. 

Caleb and Sophie pushed their power slowly outwards. This time they weren’t trying to sense all the people in the area, they were trying to sense two people in particular. Holding the melodies and colours in their heads that were Ben and Amy’s unique signatures, they kept pushing outwards, looking for those signatures to ping their senses. As they expanded their power net, it became harder. Pushing outwards was met with resistance, like trying to move through thick honey. As they struggled, Sophie became aware that they’d managed to push out a few blocks further than the last time. Finally, they couldn’t continue, and they slumped back on the couch, exhausted. 

“We tried. Our range was better this time. But still...” 

“...we couldn’t find them” Sophie finished, and her face crumpled as she burst into tears. “I’m sorry! I just thought...” 

“Hey it’s okay” Caleb said gently, extending a tentative arm and putting it around her shoulders. 

Sophie let him pull her close and she sobbed onto his shirt.

“This is embarrassing.” 

“If it helps, I’ve felt like crying all day” Tom said sympathetically. 

Henry said nothing, but rose from the couch and came back with a glass of water for Sophie, and two protein bars. He handed them to Caleb. 

“You need something after using your powers” he said, pushing some hair back from Sophie’s face with a gentle hand. 

“Thanks” Caleb murmured, opening the bars and taking a bite of one. 

Sophie wiped her eyes, took the glass of water and the bar and tried her best to consume them. Tom jumped up and whispered something to Henry, who disappeared and came back with Caleb’s iPod. Caleb watched curiously as Henry plugged it into the stereo they had left in the gym from Sophie’s birthday party. Melancholy music spilled forth into the air, which he recognised as Muse’s song Blackout. Henry returned to the couch, holding out a hand to Sophie. 

“Dance with me?” he smiled, bowing slightly. 

Sophie smiled a somewhat watery smile.

“Now?” 

“Especially now. You need something to lift your heart before sleeping, and we all know you love to dance. I am an expert in the classical forms.” 

Sophie stood up, feeling a little excited. “Can you do ballroom? Like the waltz and the rumba?” 

“Of course. Shall we?” 

Sophie placed her hand in his shyly, and Henry led her over to the gym floor, where they began a waltz. Henry led well, and Sophie followed gracefully, a small smile growing on her face as they moved across the floor. 

Tom flopped down next to Caleb, looking smug. 

“Nice idea man” Caleb praised, finishing off his bar. 

“Cheers. I thought that would take her mind off things a bit.” 

“How are you doing?” Caleb inquired. 

Tom sighed. “I don’t know. The usual feelings- worry, fear, anger. I want to find the Order and hurt them, and then I feel guilty for thinking that way. I want to be putting positive energy out, not thinking about how to hurt fellow human beings.” 

“I wouldn’t feel that guilty, I mean that all sounds like a pretty human reaction to me. Nothing wrong with wanting to protect and defend the ones we care about, right?” 

“I suppose. I keep thinking about the fact that I declined going to the uni with Ben- maybe if I’d gone along...” 

“...then you would be gone too” Caleb said firmly. “It’s not your fault.” 

They sat in companionable silence for a while, watching Sophie and Henry dance. The music changed to a more upbeat song, and Caleb gave Tom a nudge. 

“Let’s go and dance too. You love dancing, right? Maybe it’ll make us tired enough to sleep tonight.” 

Tom nodded, and they joined Henry and Sophie on the dance floor.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amy and Ben wake up, and have some painful stuff happen to them. Lots of pain.
> 
> *Trigger warning for some violence/torture this chapter*

Gradually Amy became conscious, rising up through layers of sleep. Her throat was dry and sore, her tongue felt thick and fuzzy. Her muscles didn’t want to obey her. She forced her eyes to open, and blinked them until they cleared. 

Amy was lying on the floor in a small room. She lifted her head, and saw Ben lying next to her, eyes shut. Fragments of memories starting coming back to her. There was a toilet...she struggled to a sitting position and saw an open door leading to a toilet and washbasin. She’d been in there before. Lifting her wrist, she checked her watch. Saturday, 6.30 am. Her arm was sore, and she rubbed it, noticing the bruising...from the needle? Wait, there had been two needles. She had woken up here in this room, gone to the toilet, and then...men had come in, talking about how the Master hadn’t wanted to see them until morning...ah that was when the second needle happened. 

Amy needed to go to the bathroom again. With great care, she got on her knees, then her feet. The effort of moving her body was making her feel nauseous. Legs shaking, she made it to the bathroom. Lit by a single light bulb, it was grimy, tiles cracked and broken in places. Finishing at the toilet, she had a long drink from the basin tap and washed her face. Feeling a little better, she walked out of the bathroom and looked around. The room was bare, the dark floor carpeted. The cream painted walls were dingy, paint peeling in places. The corners of the room were covered in cobwebs. There was a small window high up on the wall, too small for either of them to fit through. The room was cold, and Amy shivered a little in her cardigan. 

She sat down next to Ben, fighting off an attack of dizziness. Placing two fingers lightly on his neck, she checked for a pulse. Still alive. Good. He was taking longer to shake off the drug’s effects she guessed, due to being half her weight. Ben groaned, shifting a little on the carpet. Amy gently pushed his shoulder, rolling him on to his back. His eyelids fluttered, and he brought up a hand to his face. 

“Wha-“ his attempt ended in a croak. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Where are we?” 

“In a room. That’s all I know. It’s after 6am on Saturday.” 

Ben struggled to sit up. Amy lent a hand. 

“Want help to the bathroom? You’ll feel a bit better after.” 

Ben sighed. “I want to manfully refuse, but I suspect taking a header on the way there would prove painful.” 

Amy grinned, and stood, extending a hand. “Come on. I’ll be gentle.” 

Hooking an arm around her shoulders, she helped stabilise Ben’s progress to the bathroom. While he was occupied she studied the only exit. The door was old, like the rest of the room, but seemed sturdy. Amy tried the doorknob, which didn’t open. No surprise there. She peeked in the keyhole, but whatever was outside the room was too dark to see. Making her way back to the window, she looked up at it again. It was too high for her to look through. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten since lunch the previous day. Feeling faint again, she sank back down on the carpet. Ben left the bathroom and let himself flop onto his back next to Amy, all graceless arms and legs. He glanced up at her. 

“You all right?” 

“Hmm? Oh, yeah I’m fine.” 

Amy saw him staring at her mouth.

“What?” 

“It’s looking a bit swollen, where he hit you. Doesn’t it hurt?” 

“Not really” Amy touched her lip gingerly. “I wasn’t really thinking about it. How much do you remember from yesterday?” 

“Most of it, I think. They drugged us, put us in a van...I think I remember being in this room last night?” 

“Yeah me too. They dosed us again, made some comment about the boss dude seeing us in the morning.” 

“What do you think they want with us?” 

Amy shrugged. “I don’t know. Stephen said his boss had decided not to kill us yet, but I don’t know why. Or how long the not yet will last. I’m guessing they’re trying to stop us from disrupting the summoning. Didn’t Caleb think they were going to do it at midnight tonight?” 

“Yeah. The others must be frantic.” 

Suddenly the door opened, they had time to see an unfamiliar man who tossed something into the room and shut the door again before they had time to react. Amy looked down to see a box of muesli bars and a loaf of bread. 

Amy snorted. “Bread and water, really? How original.” 

Ben cracked a smile, which Amy had been aiming for. He had been looking a bit too worried for her liking. They dined on their strange breakfast, and drank from the bathroom tap. 

“Well at least they’re not planning to starve us” Amy remarked, making a tidy pile of their leftovers in the corner for later. 

Sitting back down, the glint of metal on her wrist caught her attention, and she pulled her sleeve back to examine the bracelet more closely. It didn’t appear to have any joins, or catch to pull. Amy grabbed it, intending to try pulling it off, and swayed as a strong wave of nausea crashed over her. 

“Dammit. Even trying to remove it makes me nauseous. I hate this thing.” 

Ben tried his, with similar results. 

“How are we going to get out of here without our powers?” Ben said, frustrated. 

Amy sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe Cassie will have a vision and figure out where we are.” 

“That would be nice.” 

Ben jumped up and started pacing the room. Amy watched. 

“You all right there?” 

Ben grimaced, still pacing. “I hate being enclosed like this. There’s nothing to do.” He looked up at the window. “Did you check this out?” 

“Yep. But it’s too high to see out, and too narrow for us to fit through.” 

Ben looked at her, then back to the window.

“What if I gave you a boost?” 

Amy looked sceptical. “I’m not light you know. Maybe I should give _you_ a boost.” 

Ben grinned. “It’s not going to be a problem. Let’s try you first. If it doesn’t work, we’ll try it your way.” 

Amy nodded, stood and joined Ben at the wall under the window. She toed her shoes off, while Ben knelt and laced his hands together, ready to provide support. Amy gingerly placed a foot onto Ben’s hands, leaning her hands against the wall to steady herself. 

“Ready?” Ben murmured. “Go!” 

Ben launched Amy up, and she grabbed hold of the window sill to take some of her weight. 

“Okay. You can go higher.” 

Ben slowly lifted her higher as he rose to his feet. 

“I can reach the window now! Hold me steady.” 

Amy tried to slide the window across, but it wouldn’t open. She was gazing out onto the view of a city street. 

“It’s locked. I think we’re still in London, but I don’t know where.” 

“Describe the street to me” Ben suggested, and Amy dutifully described the buildings, but Ben heard nothing he recognised. 

“You can let me down” Amy said, but Ben lowered her too fast and she lost her balance. 

Amy let out a surprised squeak as she tipped backwards, Ben tried to catch her as Amy tried to twist away so she wouldn’t fall on him, resulting in Amy knocking Ben to the carpet in an untidy pile of arms and legs. 

“Sorry!” Amy breathed out while trying to catch her breath. 

She was lying on top of Ben, who was looking rather squashed. 

Ben managed a breathless “S’okay.” 

Amy tried rolling off him at the same time Ben tried to sit up, resulting in them bumping heads, and setting them off into fits of giggles. Amy untangled herself and lay back on the carpet, still laughing, and the tension they had been running on faded away for a time. 

“Sorry sorry. I’m not laughing at you, I just keep thinking about how that would have looked- perfect slapstick comedy routine my friend.” 

Ben gave her an affectionate dig in the ribs.

“So glad I’m available to entertain you.” 

“Well I gave you something to do, didn’t I?” Amy grinned. 

The sound of a key rattling in the door threw a cold bucket of water on their mood. Ben and Amy jumped to their feet and moved into fighting stances. The door opened away from them, and they caught the tail end of a conversation. 

“...don’t need your help!” 

“You can’t argue with our Master.” 

Amy’s heart sank, she recognised both of those voices. Sure enough, Stephen entered, closely followed by one of the men who was with him yesterday, and the lady mage Amy and Tom had met earlier in the week. She smiled at them, raising a hand and gesturing. Ben and Amy were flipped around and pushed back against the wall, an unseen force keeping them there no matter how much they struggled. Amy was able to turn her head, but nothing else. 

“I’m afraid we weren’t properly introduced last time” the lady mage continued. “I’m Amanda. See Stephen? I’m saving you a lot of trouble. This way, you don’t get your nose broken again.” 

Amy could tell that the mage took great pleasure from baiting Stephen. Well, so did she. It wasn’t hard. She tensed as she felt someone grab her wrists, tying them together. Amanda moved closer and leant into Amy’s line of vision. 

“I see you have a new boy with you this time.” 

She grabbed Ben’s hair and pulled his head back. Amy saw Ben wince and bite his bottom lip.

“Not bad. We’re going to get better acquainted. You get to meet our Master, lucky girl.” 

Amy’s heart sank. That couldn’t be good. She affected a nonchalant tone to hide her fear. 

“What is it with the hair, Amanda? You just pull everyone’s hair you meet? Rude.” 

The mage laughed. “I think you have more important things to think about dear.” 

The force that was holding Amy against the wall was suddenly gone, and she was grabbed around the waist. Amy was turned to face Stephen as Amanda gestured and Ben’s body moved to stand beside her. Ben looked furious. Stephen moved towards her, and Amy leant back into the guy holding her, kicking Stephen between his legs as hard as she could with bare feet. He yelped and sank to the ground, while Amanda laughed. 

“Do I have to do everything?” 

She looked to the man holding Amy. “Take her to the Master.” 

Amy’s stomach lurched as she was swung over the guy’s shoulder, feeling vulnerable with her hands tied behind her back. 

“Let her go!” she heard Ben cry angrily. 

“Settle down, you won’t have any time to worry about her in a moment” came Amanda’s amused tone, as Amy was carried through the doorway and into a dimly-lit hallway. 

Amy twisted around, trying to take as much in as she could. There wasn’t much she could take notice of. The hallway stretched out in both directions, and had a few doors, mostly closed. She couldn’t see where the hallway led to. They passed under another doorway leading into a small room. This one had two wooden chairs, one of which Amy was dumped in, and tied to with some rope. Once around her waist fixing her torso to the chair back, then her ankles were tethered to each chair leg. The man left, and after a minute or so, a different man entered, followed by Stephen. He was tall and silver-haired, dressed in mage robes. He wore some sort of medallion around his neck, Amy couldn’t make out the design. Stephen was glowering at her. Amy smiled sweetly back, trying to put the promise of more pain into her eyes. Stephen shifted uneasily. The silver-haired man glanced at her, then turned to Stephen. 

“This is the fire mage, correct?” 

“Yes Master” Stephen answered quickly, his tone respectful. 

“And your contraption has been successful in restraining her magic?” 

Stephen nodded eagerly. “Completely, sir.” 

“I’m sitting right here, you know” Amy pointed out. 

The Master turned his gaze to Amy, and she restrained a shiver. His eyes were grey, and completely lacking in life. For the first time she understood the term “dead-eyed.” He looked her over dispassionately, like a scientist studying a new specimen.

“Why am I here?” Amy demanded. 

The Master walked over to the other chair, moving it to seat himself in front of Amy, his knees almost touching hers. His grey eyes bored into hers, his face devoid of expression. 

“You are here because I wish it. I want to know how the seer endowed you with magic.” 

“You’re supposed to be the big boss here, right? Work it out” Amy replied flippantly. 

The Master regarded her for moment, then brought his hands to Amy’s face, gripping it firmly. Amy flinched, and tried to turn her head away, but he was too strong. Softly she heard him murmuring something, then pain lanced through her head, forcing a strangled yelp from her lips. The pain continued, throbbing up her cheeks and splintering into sharp fragments behind her eyes. Amy whimpered, feeling saliva rush into her mouth, with nausea quickly following. Then it was gone, and she felt his hands release her as she opened her eyes. 

“How did she do it?” the Master repeated calmly. 

Amy took in a shaking breath. “Wow you’re so brave, hurting a tied up girl- I can see why you’re the big boss. Why do you want to know anyway? You guys already have magic.” Amy’s eyes flicked to Stephen, who was watching them avidly, looking gleeful at Amy’s pain. “Well, some more than others.” 

Stephen frowned. The Master didn’t answer, but brought his hands up again, this time placing them against Amy’s stomach. Her skin crawled at the feeling of him touching her there. This time, the pain grew slowly, beginning in the pit of her stomach and gradually increasing in intensity. It felt like someone was in her stomach playing with knives. 

“I was just asking a question” Amy panted, “and you’re going to punish me with period pain? Uncalled for.” 

The pain increased, and Amy let out a few sobs. She wasn’t sure what to do. How important was it that she withhold this information? She didn’t think they’d be able to replicate the process. The stabbing pain started travelling down her legs, and Amy whimpered. It felt like her legs were being cut and sliced into, blood running down her skin...she glanced down at her legs and saw nothing but her leggings. Looking up into the mage’s empty grey eyes, she saw the tiniest spark, the hint of a smile at the corners of his lips. He was enjoying this. The pain showed no signs of abating, and Amy was quickly reaching the end of her tolerance. 

“Stop! Please, I’ll tell you.” 

The pain stopped, but the Master didn’t remove his hands. He looked at her, waiting. Amy blinked to clear the tears from her eyes. 

“She, she gave us all a crystal. We held them, she chanted something, then the crystals flashed a colour, and the magic went into us. Then she smashed the crystals.” 

Amy was hoping that mixing the truth with lies would work. She didn’t have to pretend to be scared. She sniffed pathetically. The Master studied her, thinking. Then he removed his hands and turned to Stephen. 

“Remove the bracelet. I want to see if I can draw it out of her.” 

Amy’s heart surged with hope. The Master turned back to her.   

“If you attempt to use your power, your companion will die. Painfully” he said calmly. 

Stephen knelt down beside her chair, roughly shoving a hand down between her back and the chair to grab her wrist. Placing his fingers over the metal bracelet, he chanted a quick series of words that Amy strained to remember, but he said them too fast and the sounds were too unfamiliar. The bracelet parted, and Stephen removed it from her wrist. Suddenly Amy felt the rush of her magic flowing unrestrained through her veins, familiar and comforting. It was a struggle not to use it. 

“Go stand by the door. If she uses any magic, you know where to go.” 

Stephen nodded, smiling nastily at Amy.

“Yes sir.” 

Amy frantically tried to think of how to use her magic to neutralise both Stephen and the Master, but such thoughts flew out of her head as the mage leant forward and placed his hands at the base of her neck, pressing the heels of his hands against her collarbones and digging his fingers into the back of her neck. He moved even closer, knees pressing against hers and Amy could feel his hot moist breath on her face. 

“This is going to hurt” he breathed into her ear, and Amy shuddered. 

It began with an unpleasant feeling crawling through her body, like the Master was stroking her on the inside of her skin, sifting her magic through his fingers. Then came the pull. Amy screamed as he tried to pull her magic out through her skin into his hands, like needles trying to push through a sieve with the holes too small to allow passage. Dimly Amy could feel the mage’s hands moving about over her body, trying to tug the magic out, but it wouldn’t come. She would have told him everything he needed to know right then, anything to stop the pain. But he didn’t ask, and he didn’t stop, and Amy couldn’t stop screaming.  

*                       *                           * 

“Fuck!” Ben choked, finally breaking his stubborn silence. 

Amanda gave a throaty chuckle as she removed her hand from his bare chest and let Ben sag to the floor, panting. Her other hand held a knife. 

“Did that hurt?” she murmured, mock-solicitously. “Good.” 

Ben stayed crouched on the floor, trying not to shake. It was no use lunging at her, he knew from recent experience. Damn her magic- what would you call it? Binding magic? She could move his body around like a puppet. It was unsettling. Laying her hand on him and causing him pain leaving no visible marks behind? That was disturbing. He suppressed a groan as he lost control over his body again, being moved to stand up against the wall. The wall felt cold against his skin. 

“What do you want” Ben gritted out, as she ran her knife lightly down his neck, stopping to trace his collarbones, carefully pricking a line along each hollow. 

“Right now? Seeing your blood welling from your skin is fascinating. And your face when I cause you pain.” She traced his cheekbone with her other hand and pain splintered across Ben’s face. “I like that. I’m looking forward to hearing how you sound when you scream.” 

“That can’t be all” Ben gasped through the pain, tears running down his face over her hand. “What about not right now? Why are we here? Why were we taken?” 

“Intelligence, I see” Amanda crooned approvingly, sending an extra stab of pain into his temple, before moving her hand down to his stomach and starting a new kind of pain there. 

Ben whimpered as his skin under her hand slowly heated up, like her hand was a hot iron. He felt his skin starting to blister as the pain grew unbearable. He let out a scream, and Amanda hummed appreciatively, taking her hand away. Ben looked down and saw his skin unmarked. 

“Such a pretty scream. I like. Well, you were brought here because our Master decided that your magic was something he wanted to explore. Right now he’s investigating your friend, seeing if he can pull her magic out.” 

Ben tensed as he heard a faint scream. 

“Sounds like he’s getting started” Amanda said, smiling. “Wish I could watch.” 

Ben spat in her face. “Fuck you.”

She slapped him in the face with the hilt of her knife, and Ben tasted blood. 

“Manners, boy. As I was saying, I get to try and pull your magic out. Stephen is jealous, he doesn’t have the ability for the type of magic the Master and I have. But afterwards, if you’re both good, I get to bleed both of you.” 

“What...” Ben croaked. 

Amanda carefully pricked a circle around his navel with her knife, and followed it up with a spike of pain to his hip. She let her hand linger there, watching Ben’s face. Ben swallowed against a wave of nausea.

“You know our end game. Akuzaal. Your seer has foreseen it, I believe. Well summoning him requires certain sacrifices. You two will make lovely sacrifices tonight. Quite fitting, really- using those that may stop him to raise him. I’m hoping that our Master will choose me to do that. I’m very good at making people bleed.” 

She sheathed her knife at the belt she wore over her robes and leaned in close to Ben, placing her hands against his chest. 

“I’m going to remove Stephen’s little fashion accessory now. If you try to use your magic, I will end you, and then I will go to your friend and bleed her to death.” 

Ben glared, but said nothing as she murmured her words and removed the bracelet from his wrist, placing it into a pocket of her robes. He could still hear Amy screaming, and it made all the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. The humming in his bones resumed unrestrained, and he could feel his magic again. He had missed it. His body ached to run to Amy’s side and stop whatever they were doing to her. 

“Dying to play the hero right now, aren’t you?” Amanda murmured, placing her hands back in Ben’s chest. “My Master has ten times the power and skill that I have at causing pain. Truly an artist. She is lucky to have his attentions. Now let’s see if we can’t get that pesky magic out of you.” 

Pain exploded throughout every single part of Ben’s body, his magic fizzing inside like a can of soda shaken too hard. Pressure was building and pressing against the inside of his skin, looking for an outlet to release, but there was nothing. Ben started to scream as the pain and pressure increased to the point where he thought his body was about to turn inside out. Ben heard Amanda giggling, then he felt her lips pressed to his, drinking in his screams. He wished for oblivion.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Amy deal with the aftermath of what they went through. There is talking, crying, laughing and Amy's special brand of humour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not long to go now, dear readers! I can see the end of this story approaching. Please leave kudos or a comment if you're enjoying the ride. :-)

Ben lay on the ground, too exhausted to rise. He couldn’t remember how long he’d been screaming. His throat hurt, and every part of his body ached from the memory of pain. The metal coolness of the bracelet was once again on his wrist. Amanda leaned over him, a manic grin on her face. 

“Seems your magic is proving too stubborn for me.” 

She laid a hand on his chest, spreading out her fingers. Ben felt a searing pain, he yelped, she drew her hand away and he could see five burn marks, each one where she had rested her fingertips. 

“Something to remember me by. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you later on tonight.” 

She swished out of the room, and once he could be sure that she had left, Ben let himself curl up into a ball and cry. After a moment he heard someone approaching, and he scooted back to huddle against the wall, quickly wiping his face and schooling his expression to blankness. If she was coming back, he wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of tears. 

It was Stephen and Amy who entered the room. Amy’s head drooped and she was being half carried by Stephen, who was whispering in her ear with a leer on his face. Amy flinched, and tried to turn her face away, but Stephen grabbed her blue hair, and pushed her hard. Ben realised she still had her hands tied behind her back as she stumbled towards him. Jumping up, he caught her before she fell and eased her down to the floor with him. Stephen grinned nastily and left the room, closing the door behind him. 

Ben reached out a hand to move her hair out of her face, and Amy flinched and shrank back. 

“I’m sorry” Ben said, startled. 

“No it’s fine, it’s not you. Just an acquired reaction from the last few hours” Amy said, resigned. 

“Hey it’s okay. Let me get you untied, yeah?” 

Amy nodded, and moved so Ben could get at her wrists. After a while of fumbling with the knots, he freed her hands, throwing the rope away to other side of the room. Carefully she moved her body to lean back on the wall, next to Ben. She took in his tear-stained face, and his bare torso covered with streaks of blood and burn marks and winced, tears coming to her eyes. Gently she leaned against his shoulder, and took his hand. 

“Obviously I’m not going to ask if you’re okay, ‘cos you’re not. We’re not. I don’t really know what to say here. I’m here? We can do some mutual crying?” Amy’s voice started shaking. “‘Cos I’m feeling like I need to about now.” 

Hearing the kindness and pain in her voice, and the matching tears in her eyes, Ben couldn’t hold it together any more. He turned to Amy and pulled her into a hug, heedless of the throbbing pain  from his burn marks. She let him, and as he cried into her blue hair, she stroked his back and cried onto his shoulder. They stayed like that for a while, until their crying subsided down into shivering and whimpers from Ben, and silent shuddering from Amy. Finally they drew apart, and stayed sitting next to each other. Amy noticed Ben shivering. 

“Hey that’s not good. It’s too cold in this room and you’re going into shock” she said, looking worried. “And your wounds need cleaning.” 

Ben grimaced. “You’re right.” He waved over to the right. “My clothes are over there, I think.” 

He saw Amy wince as she started to get up, and grabbed her hand. 

“Hey I can get them, you’re hurt too. We need to take care of you as well you know.” 

“Sure you can, but I think I’m in better shape and we need to prioritise.” Amy tried a shaky grin. “Besides, you being half-naked is just too distracting.” 

Ben laughed in spite of himself. “I can’t believe you can still joke.” 

Amy started making her way slowly over to the pile of Ben’s jumper, shirt and coat, bending down carefully to pick them up. She flashed him a far less shaky grin. 

“Sophie always said that even if the world was ending I’d find a way to make a joke.  Guess she was right.” 

Her face sobered suddenly. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m glad that they took you and not Sophie.” 

Ben’s stomach gave a sudden lurch as he contemplated what Sophie would have just gone through.

He nodded fervently. “Agreed. Not that I like anything happening to you, either!” 

“Ditto.” 

Amy came back with Ben’s clothes. She looked down at his bloody torso, and considered.

“How do you feel about using your shirt for clean up, and just wearing your jumper and coat? 

Ben nodded, unable to stop shivering. “Sounds sensible.” 

“Don’t move, I’ll just go wet the shirt.” 

Amy went into the bathroom and was soon back, holding a wet shirt in her hands. She knelt by Ben and carefully started sponging the blood off his wounds. She saw the burns and hissed in sympathy. 

“Did she do that with...” 

“Her fingers? Yeah. The other stuff isn’t so bad, it was just lots of tiny jabs with her knife, and a few cuts. She liked seeing the blood.” 

Amy looked angry. “She needs some of her own blood spilled for a change. If I ever get this bracelet off again I owe her a good burn.” 

“They took yours off too? She said if I used my magic she’d kill you...” 

“Yeah the Master said the same thing. Pretty effective. He tried to pull my magic out of me.” 

Ben winced at the memory. “Yep me too. I heard you...” 

Amy looked haunted. “I don’t think I’ve ever had something hurt so much ever. I feel like I should be a bloody wreck, but as soon as he stopped, all the pain just went. But the memory of it hurt.” 

She finished washing him, and Ben pulled his jumper and coat back on, eyes narrowed as he thought. 

“If he didn’t...why are you still hurting? Who did...” 

“Stephen.” 

Amy pulled her shirt up and showed Ben the bruises starting to blossom across her stomach. He could see some shallow cuts beginning there and disappearing up under her shirt. 

“I guess I really pissed him off. After the Master...finished with me, he roughed me up some before taking me back here.” 

Ben had a sudden urge to hurt Stephen. A lot. 

“Bastard. What was he saying to you when you came back?” 

Amy shuddered. “Nothing I want to repeat. He was just trying to freak me out. Telling me stuff he wanted to do to me if he had more time. He’s way overdue for some pain, that guy. Maybe if I could kick him enough times in the balls he wouldn’t have use of them anymore?” 

“Sounds fitting. May I help you with the kicking?” 

“Sure. Anytime.” 

Amy saw that Ben’s shivers were starting to subside. She found her shoes and put them back on, ducking into the bathroom to wash the blood off her torso. 

“Did Amanda let anything slip about what they’re planning?” Amy yelled from the bathroom. 

While Amy washed, Ben filled her in on what the mage had said. 

Listening to Ben, Amy took her top off and looked down at the damage. Bruises adorned her chest above and below her bra, and her stomach. Dried blood marked the shallow cuts the knife had made on her stomach and the area below her collarbone. Running her fingers along her ribs, Amy admitted it could have been a lot worse. No cracked ribs, just tissue damage, from the feel of it. The cuts stung, but nothing too bad. The bruises hurt more. Amy’s arms were still unmarked, probably because Stephen couldn’t get her clothes all the way off her arms with her hands tied. Carefully she cleaned them, trying to ignore the images that flashed into her head of Stephen’s sneering face as he had made them. She dressed quickly and joined Ben on the floor. 

“The Master didn’t have anything interesting to say” Amy said, pondering what Ben had told her. “He doesn’t seem to love the sound of his own voice the way Amanda does. He’s creepy though. Sounds like they’ll be doing the midnight summoning thing that Caleb mentioned then? So Cassie has this afternoon and evening to have a vision and come to stop it.” 

“Do you really think she will?” Ben asked wistfully. 

“I have to keep thinking so” Amy said, looking determined. “This is the reason she gathered us in the first place, right? It makes sense that she’s going to have a vision about it. They just need to get here in time.” She checked her watch. “It’s lunchtime. They’ve got time. We need to eat something.” 

Amy stood up and came back with the food they’d saved from earlier- muesli bars and bread. Ben groaned. 

“I don’t feel in the least bit hungry right now.” 

“I know, neither do I. But we need to.” She pushed a muesli bar into Ben’s hand. “Eat. We need to be able to fight when the time comes.” 

Reluctantly they nibbled at their food, and drank out of the tap in the bathroom. Sitting back down against the wall, Ben noticed that Amy’s hands were still shaking a little. She saw him looking, and tucked her hands under her arms. 

“I’m fine” she said defensively. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Ben asked. 

“No” Amy replied firmly. “No I do not. Let’s talk about something else. Anything else. I need my brain to stop running through the same scenes in my head.” 

Ben racked his brain for a minute, then grinned.

“So what did you and Tom get up to the other night when you ended up sleeping on the couch?” 

Amy almost choked on the last bite of her muesli bar. 

"You said let's talk about anything else" Ben said innocently, eyes twinkling with mischief. 

Amy broke into a reluctant grin, shaking her head at him.

"Why haven't you already asked Tom about this? Don't you two talk?" 

"I never said I hadn't talked to him. I'm asking you." 

"Well there's nothing juicy to tell you. I had a nightmare and couldn't sleep, Tom read to me until I fell asleep on the couch."

 "Aw. But that's all?" 

"Well there was some kissing. But you already know we do that." Amy studied Ben. "Why do you want to know so much?" 

"Well, Tom's my mate. I like knowing what's going on with him and you. He's had casual lady friends before, but nothing serious. You're the first girl I've seen him serious about, do you know that?" 

Amy looked surprised. "Really? I wouldn't have expected that." 

"He's pretty serious about his craft, he hasn't wanted to make room for much else. Until you." 

Amy raised an eyebrow. "So don't blow it and break his heart, is the sub-text I'm getting here." 

"Well..." 

Amy sighed. "Look no offence Ben, but you can't just put that kind of pressure on me. I'm aiming not to blow it, but I can't know what will happen. And negotiating this relationship is something Tom and I will work at, without you." 

Ben raised his hands defensively. "That's not how I meant it to come across, sorry. I just want my friends to be happy, and I was curious about how you and Tom were going." 

"Well I want us to be happy too. And I am taking my relationship with Tom seriously. But I'm not looking to rush into anything, either. I've had bad experiences in the past with guys pushing me into things too fast, and I'm not going to do that this time." 

"That sounds sensible." Ben replied cautiously. "I'm sorry if I was too prying." 

Amy smiled. "It's cool. You were just trying to take my mind off stuff. Which it did." Her smile turned anticipatory. "So allow me to return the favour. How's it going with you and Sophie?" 

Ben laughed. "I guess I asked for that one." His grin turned a little shy. "It's good. At least I think it's good." He started looking anxious. "Did Sophie say it wasn't?" 

Amy chuckled. "I'm not going to tell you things Sophie told me, that violates the girl code. But she hasn't said anything bad. I'm sure you're good." 

Ben looked relieved. "You know I think the world of her." 

"Yeah, I had noticed. The hearts in your eyes were a bit of a giveaway." 

Ben snorted out a giggle. "You're one to talk. Those moony faces you and Tom make at each other when you think we don't notice." 

"I do not make moony faces! What does that even mean? Like the faces you make at Sophie are any better. Do birds suddenly appear? Every time she is near? Do you long to..." 

Ben started laughing. "Don't you dare finish that sentence!" 

Amy snickered, and started humming the tune.

“You are so easy to tease. Seriously though, you guys should hang out more.” 

"Yeah, we haven't really had much time to just hang out and chat about stuff." 

"Yeah same. We were talking about going on some proper dates after we get rid of Akuuzal." 

Ben's face turned sombre. "If there is an after." 

Amy nudged him in the ribs. "Oi, cut that out. There will be. What's the point of assuming otherwise?" 

"You know, that actually hurt." 

"Aw poor baby. Am I torturing you? Wait, no that already happened." 

Ben looked at her incredulously. 

Amy grinned at him unrepentantly. "Too soon?" 

Ben cracked up laughing, and Amy grinned. 

"Thank you folks, I'm here all day. Catch me before the summoning."


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team back at HQ wait anxiously for news of Amy and Ben, each person dealing with the worry in their own way. Cassie and Sophie hang out, Buffy beats up Caleb and Tom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only a few chapters left dear readers! I hope you are enjoying the ride. Please leave comments or kudos if you do.

Saturday passed slowly for those at HQ. Buffy and Cassie ran fighting and magic practice for Tom, Caleb and Sophie. They broke for lunch, and Tom went off to practice lines for his play, pacing about the library in agitation as he rehearsed. Caleb slouched in an armchair on his laptop, while Sophie, Buffy and Cassie spread out a pile of books on the coffee table, looking for any new information about the Order. The hours inched by. Sophie kept losing her place in the book and staring off into space. Her brain kept showing her horrible images of what could be happening to Amy and Ben.

A sudden sound startled her out of her reverie- Caleb slammed his laptop shut and ran his hands through his chocolate brown hair in frustration. 

“Ugh I just feel so useless! We need to be off rescuing them now, not wasting time here!” 

Tom’s pacing slowed and he approached Caleb’s chair, giving the boy a reassuring pat on the shoulder. 

“I know how you feel man.” 

Buffy put down the book she had been perusing and stood up. 

“Come on” she said, gesturing to Caleb. “Let’s go. Fight practice.” 

“Again?” 

“Well thinking about it isn’t helping, this way I’ll keep you too busy to think. You too Shakespeare boy. Let’s see how you go two against one.” 

“If you’re one of the two, I imagine I’ll spend a lot of time being punched in the face” Tom said with a sigh, but he put down his script and followed Buffy and Caleb upstairs. 

Cassie stood and stretched, placing her book down on the table. 

“Should we start dinner?” she suggested tentatively. 

Sophie nodded, standing up. “Might as well. I’m having trouble concentrating anyway.” 

The girls made their way upstairs to the kitchen and Sophie pulled some vegetables out of the fridge, setting them up next to a chopping board at the dining table. Pulling out a knife and peeler from the kitchen drawer, she started on some carrots. 

“How about a curry? I saw coconut milk and curry paste in the cupboard the other day.” 

“Yes, and we have chicken in the fridge” Cassie answered, fetching the items and starting to prepare the chicken. 

They worked in silence for a while, then Cassie cleared her throat, awkwardly saying “I’m sorry Sophie. I know you are all waiting for me to have a vision. I feel like I’m letting you all down.” 

Sophie caught Cassie’s gaze, surprised. 

“You don’t have anything to apologise for Cassie, honestly. We’re all frustrated and worried, sure, but we’re not blaming you.” 

Cassie dropped her gaze to the table, fiddling with the knife she was using. “You don’t?” 

“We don’t. Is there anything we can do to help you though? Should we be leaving you alone or something?” 

Cassie shook her head.

“I often have them when I sleep, but the visions can strike at any time. I don’t have any control over them.” 

Sophie frowned. “That must be scary.” 

Cassie looked up again quickly, pale blue eyes wide with surprise.

“I don’t...but they are a privilege. I should consider myself blessed to have this gift.” 

Sophie had finished with the carrots. She tipped them into a bowl, as she pondered Cassie’s response. 

“That sounds like something you have been told” Sophie said slowly, as she started chopping up a capsicum. “You know it’s okay to not always love having visions, right?” 

Cassie chopped the last piece of chicken and moved to the sink to wash her hands. Sophie noticed that they shook a little. 

“My...my grandmother told me that I am blessed. She is a gifted seer and the leader of our clave in England.” 

Cassie said it like that was the last word on the subject. Sophie hesitated. There was a story here, and she didn’t want to go blundering into it and hurt Cassie unknowingly. 

“Well I’m not your grandmother, and I think you can feel however you want to about your gift. And if you ever need to talk about it, I’m here and I won’t judge. We don’t expect you to have all the answers Cassie, and we want to support you- we’re your friends” Sophie said gently. 

Cassie turned from the sink, and gave Sophie a tremulous smile, eyes brimming with tears.

“Thank you.” 

*** 

Tom longed to be in Amy’s company, so much so that it was a constant empty ache in his chest. The idea of something happening to her, of her being hurt or frightened, it was unthinkable. The rage he felt inside when he thought about the Order hurting her scared him. 

He was glad that Buffy had bossed them into practice. His worry needed an outlet, and memorising lines hadn’t been doing it. His heart was beating quickly, sweat soaking into his shirt, body sore from the strikes he hadn’t blocked, and it was glorious. Better than running. Quickly he dodged a kick from Buffy, turning into her space and throwing a punch towards her head. She stepped neatly around it, smoothly blocking a kick from Caleb on her other side. 

“Not bad” she said, ducking under a kick from Tom and shoving him off balance. 

A kick quickly followed, slamming into Tom’s ribs at about a third of strength he knew Buffy had. It hurt, and would leave a bruise, but his ribs were in no danger. 

“You missed a chance there Caleb” Buffy chided, hooking his legs out from under him and sending him sprawling. “You and Tom need to work together. Two against one is pointless otherwise. You should have attacked when I was kicking Tom. Keep going.” 

Tom had started moving as soon as Buffy’s attention turned to Caleb. Copying Buffy’s earlier action, he swept his leg under hers and sent her falling backwards. As soon as she hit the floor Buffy pushed off the ground and flipped back upright, grinning. 

“I see you were listening.” 

Tom ran over the last set of moves in his head, watching her grinning face.

“Oh! You let me do that.”

“How else will you learn?” Buffy said, still grinning. 

Caleb snorted, picking himself up off the gym floor.

“Is that what you call it? I think you mean ‘beat us until we’re too tired to worry’, don’t you?” 

“Well is it working?” Buffy countered, unfazed. 

She feinted a punch to the side of his face and as Caleb tried to dodge she grabbed the back of his hoodie and sent him flying to the floor again. Tom kicked into the back of her legs which made her stagger. Quickly she recovered, spinning and grabbing Tom’s wrist with one hand. Tom leaned back to kick and Buffy used his momentum to slam him into the wall. She pressed his chest into the wall and twisted his arm up behind his back, pinning him. Tom gasped for air, the contact with the wall having winded him. Caleb lay on the ground, groaning softly. 

Buffy beamed.

“Well this was fun. You didn’t do too badly you know. And just think, the Order aren’t fighters, they’re magic users. And they’re not me. You’ll do fine.” 

She released Tom’s arm and he sank to the floor. 

“I’ll just sit here a while” he groaned. 

“The floor is so comfy right now” Caleb said, turning over so he could see Tom. “Maybe I’ll just live here.” 

Buffy sniffed the air.

“I smell dinner cooking. Come on guys, time for showers.” 

“I’m moving I’m moving. Any time now” Caleb said faintly, not shifting a muscle. 

Buffy leant down and lifted Tom to his feet, laughing at Tom’s little pained huffs as he rose. Once upright he graced her with a smile. 

“Thanks sensei” Tom grinned, making his way over to Caleb. “Come on man” he coaxed, holding out his hands. “We’ll feel better after a shower.” 

Caleb groaned, but grasped Tom’s hands and let himself be pulled up.

“I bags first shower then” he said wearily, pushing back his sweat-soaked locks. 

They all headed for the showers, and Buffy hid a smug smile as she noticed that their bodies had lost all the tension coiled in their frames. There wasn’t anything she could do for Amy and Ben yet, but at least the rest of the team were going to be battle-ready. 

The three showered and dressed, Henry appeared and dinner was ready. They all sat around the dining table, chatting and eating. Henry didn’t eat of course, and mentioned that he had “what you would call take-out” before arriving. Buffy and Caleb rolled their eyes, Caleb hiding a smile behind his glass of soft drink. Dinner finished and they all lingered at the table, no one wanting to leave. 

“I checked with my street contacts before arriving here” Henry said quietly. “No news.” 

“We have to find them” Tom said intensely. “We...they, don’t have much time.” 

Cassie rose from the table, clearing some plates and heading for the sink. A sudden crash and soft cry alerted the others, and Henry was there to catch her as Cassie fell to the ground, eyes staring into space, fists clenched and arms hugging her front protectively. The others gathered around her, not sure what to do. 

“Can you hear us Cassie?” Henry inquired softly, still holding her. 

Cassie moaned a little. “Yes. I can see them, Amy and Ben- no no! They can’t! They’re going to kill them...they’re part of the summoning ritual.” She gagged a little, and put a hand to her throat. “So much blood.” 

“Look around you Cassie” Tom said urgently. “Where are they? Where is the ritual taking place?” 

Cassie’s brow furrowed. “I can’t...a room. They’re in a room, it’s small, one window. Bare light bulb, paint peeling from walls. They look tired, they’ve been hurt. That’s not where the ritual is oh wait, I see the ritual- there are runes written on the floor, the floor is raised...oh! It’s a stage. They’re in a theatre. It’s old, the curtains are dusty and the seats are falling apart. The Order is there, I can see the robes, people sitting in the chairs watching the stage...it’s in London. I can feel it.” 

Her eyes lost the far away look, and gradually she seemed to come back to them. Standing up, she rushed to the sink and threw up. Sophie held Cassie’s hair out of her face while Buffy fetched a damp washcloth. 

“Thank you” Cassie murmured. “This usually happens, it will pass shortly.” 

Buffy looked concerned. “This happens every time you have a vision? That sucks!” 

Cassie sighed wearily. “Let’s just concentrate on what I saw.” 

“Already on it” Caleb said, who had ducked downstairs and brought his laptop to the table. “Abandoned theatres in London...” His fingers flew over the keys. 

“Break into the power company accounts and cross-reference it with theatres that still have electricity and water connected” Henry suggested, standing behind Caleb and looking over his shoulder. “EDF energy is the most likely.” 

Caleb snorted. “You’re a tech guy now?” 

Henry raised an eyebrow. “I’m old Caleb, but I’m not set in my ways. Why wouldn’t I embrace the internet?” 

“It’s actually a good idea” Caleb admitted. 

Henry smirked. Tom sat Cassie at the table with a cup of tea, and helped Sophie and Buffy clear up the broken crockery. Buffy went to the gym to pack her weapon bag. 

“How hurt were they?” Sophie asked Cassie. “The sacrifice, that’s not going to really happen, right?” 

Tom looked at Cassie expectantly, a worried frown on his face. 

“It’s a possible future, but not the only one” Cassie answered, sipping her tea. “We’re going to make a different ending” she added fiercely. 

“But you saw them in that room hurt, is that a possible future or something that’s happened?” Sophie prodded. 

“It’s not always clear, but I got the sense that I was seeing them in real time” Cassie said tentatively. “They both had cuts and bruises on their faces, but nothing too bad that I could see.”

“And they’re alive, which is more than we knew a moment ago” Henry pointed out encouragingly, not taking his eyes off Caleb’s laptop screen. 

They sat in silence for a while, sipping their drinks and trying to pretend their stomachs weren’t filled with butterflies and tension. Tom was alternating between pacing the room and peering at Caleb’s laptop. 

“That’s really annoying man” Caleb said, after a while. 

Tom looked penitent.

“Sorry.” He moved over to pace in the hallway. 

Sophie finished her drink, and tried hard to think about the fact that Amy and Ben were alive, instead of how they might be injured. Her imagination wasn’t allowing her to be very successful. 

“Ha!” Caleb exclaimed triumphantly. “I’m in!” 

He brought up some more pictures.

“Okay, these ones have power connected.” 

Tom peered over Caleb’s shoulder.

“What are you doing now?” 

“I’m bringing up power bills of abandoned theatres in London, and I’m checking to see which ones have had a power spike in usage over the last day or so” Caleb explained patiently. 

Henry hummed approvingly. “That’s quick work.” 

Caleb flushed. “It’s just a matter of finding the right back door.” 

He brought up two pictures of old theatres, squashed in between office buildings. 

“I’ve got three.” He looked over to Cassie. “Come and take a look.” 

Cassie and Sophie moved over to join them all behind the laptop. Cassie peered at both the buildings carefully. 

“I’m not sure. Do you have any pictures of the interior?” 

“Hang on a sec. Here.” 

A few pictures popped up, and Cassie pointed to the bottom one.

“There. I remember those dusty red seats. And the mosaic tiles above the stage.” 

Caleb brought up its information.

“Okay, this one is at Stratford.” 

“That’s about thirty minutes from here” Tom said, breaking into a grin. “We did it!” 

Cassie pulled her mobile out of her pocket, looking determined.

“Right. Time to call the seers. They’ll send a car.” 

Buffy returned with her weapon bag in time to catch the end of the conversation. 

“We found them? Great. Are the seers sending any backup Cassie?” 

Cassie nodded, dialling. “I already arranged for a team to be on standby. They’ll meet us at the theatre.” 

“Good.” Buffy checked her watch. “It’s ten o’clock. We’ve got two hours to get there and stop the summoning. Get your coats people, time to do this.”


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team prepares to storm the old theatre. Will they get there in time?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end is in sight! This chapter is a little short, but the next one is nearly written-I'll be posting it within a week or so.

Sophie’s body shook with tension as she crouched beside Caleb and surveyed the old theatre across the street. Behind her was Buffy, Cassie, and a group of six women- the team Cassie had spoken of. 

It was dark now, streetlights flickering into life, the dull glow straining to be seen through the light shower of rain. They were crouched in an alleyway between two tall buildings. Sophie snuck another curious look at the team of witches behind her. They were not what she had expected. Two of the girls appeared to be in their twenties. One had dark brown eyes and black hair, worn loose in corkscrew curls. Her full pink lips stood out against her brown skin. She was dressed in a dark red leather jacket and jeans. 

“When will the vampire be back?” she asked impatiently, pulling her hair back to adjust the hearing aids in her ears. 

“You’re always so ready for a fight Shay” the young woman crouching next to her laughed, her green hooded eyes twinkling. 

Jessica was her name, Sophie recalled. Her straight dark hair was liberally streaked with red and pulled back into a sensible ponytail. Sophie wondered how they all felt so cheerful, when all she felt was fear and nausea. And anger. Anger at the Order for daring to hurt her friends. She needed to use that, she decided. 

“Steady on ladies” one of the older women said reprovingly. “This isn’t a party.” 

Her greying hair was short and she wore a deep green jumper over her jeans. Shay and Jessica shot a penitent look at Sophie. 

“Sorry” they said. 

Sophie nodded, a little embarrassed at being the centre of attention. 

“So you guys don’t see the future” said Caleb, looking confused. “So how are you working with the seers?” 

One of the older women cackled, as she finished pinning up her long plait of auburn hair. 

“Seeing the future isn’t the only gift there is love. You should know that.” She smoothed her long brown skirt. “The seers have need of those who can cause chaos and destruction.” 

She winked at Caleb, who looked startled. 

“You have a kind of earth power, am I right? Stick with me young man, you might learn something.” 

“We’re here to fight, not flirt Marion” another woman sighed, smoothing back her silvery-blonde hair. She wore long black robes with silver embroidery along the hem and sleeves. 

“No reason why I can’t fit in both Charlotte” Marion grinned, as she fiddled with the green stone on her necklace. 

Buffy chortled, and Cassie rolled her eyes, looking more casual than usual in blue jeans and a green jacket. Her blonde hair was pulled up into a puff on top of her head. There was a sudden flash of black behind the team that Sophie and Caleb saw, as they were facing that way. Henry made jumping from the roof to the ground look effortless. Another woman in black robes let out a surprised squeak as he brushed past, her heavy-lidded dark eyes wide with surprise. She had a long hawklike nose and generous lips, her dark hair pinned back from her light brown face. Cassie noticed Sophie studying her. 

“That’s Samita” she murmured softly. “She’s never met a vampire before tonight.” 

“Last week I could have said the same” Sophie murmured back. 

Henry strode past the witches, making sure to flash them a smile as he passed. He stopped in front of Buffy. 

“The building has two entrances that I observed. The front entrance opens on to the main road and is guarded by four members of the Order. The back entrance opens on to a narrow alley, and is guarded by another four.” 

Buffy nodded.

“Okay. Caleb and Sophie, can you try your sensing thingy again?” 

Sophie nodded, grabbing Caleb’s hand and leaning against the brick wall for some stability. They found each other’s powers and melded them quickly, practice giving them a sure touch. With melodies and colours dancing in their heads, they turned their attention to the old theatre across the road, pushing their power inside. Sophie could feel many auras, stained black and red, oily to the touch and grating on the ears. She felt Caleb flinch as they slid past, searching for Amy and Ben’s clean vibrant colours. Time passed, and both Sophie and Caleb were feeling frustrated. The theatre wasn’t a huge building, they should have sensed Amy and Ben by now. 

“Let’s just be still and listen” Sophie murmured softly in Caleb’s ear, trying not to break his concentration. 

They were still, and let their senses rest. It felt like they were sitting on an oily puddle, the auras of the Order around them tainting everything they touched. After a little while, Sophie thought she could hear a familiar song, but very faint. 

“Do you hear that?” Caleb whispered. 

“Yeah” Sophie whispered back. “Be still and see if we can pinpoint it.” 

Trying to catch the source of the faint song was like trying to find a ringing phone when it was at the bottom of a bag in another room. Sophie and Caleb continued to listen, and slowly stretched out their senses, like questing fingers, following the sound. They moved closer, it became a little louder, but not by much. Sophie started to see two faintly flickering auras, with Ben and Amy’s colours, but dimmed right down. There seemed to be a thin pulsing black barrier outlining their bodies, keeping their auras inside. 

“I think we found them” Sophie spoke, catching the attention of the others. 

Caleb and Sophie let go and snapped back to the alleyway. Caleb pulled a couple of energy bars out of his cargo pants pocket and handed one to Sophie. 

“I have some” Sophie began, but accepted the bar. 

Caleb shrugged. “Save yours for later, I’m sure you’ll be needing it.” 

“Well?” Tom asked impatiently. 

“Sorry! We found them, but their auras are really faint” Sophie explained. 

“Yeah we could hardly see them. They’re penned in somehow” Caleb added. 

Tom’s face looked stricken, and Sophie hastened to add, 

“They’re okay! It’s not a reflection of their physical state or anything, their auras would have been different. It’s something magical. I don’t know what.” 

“Well we’ll figure it out when we find them” Buffy said pragmatically. 

She quizzed Sophie and Caleb about the other auras they had sensed, and put together a general idea of the numbers they were dealing with. She looked and caught the attention of the others. 

“I propose this: most of the witches create a big noisy diversion at the front door, taking out the four guards and entering in that way, while we go in quietly through the back. Two priorities- rescuing Amy and Ben and stopping the summoning. How we do that, we’ll have to play by ear. Sophie, you stick with Cassie and keep her shielded- Tom and Caleb you are defense. Henry and I will react to whatever situation we’ll be walking into. I wouldn’t mind a witch with us as well. Questions?” 

The witches looked at each other, silently conferring, then Shay stepped forward. 

“I’ll go with you guys.” 

“The plan is acceptable to us” Charlotte said. “We’ll neutralise as many mages as we can.” 

Marion grinned. “A noisy diversion sounds right up my alley.” 

Sophie hesitated. “Of course I’ll shield, but if I need to do any healing I’ll have to drop it.” 

Buffy nodded. “Understood. Let’s go. Henry, show us to the back door without being seen.” 

“My pleasure. Ladies, give us some time before you start your attack please.” 

“Yes yes, we’re not amateurs young man” Marion sniffed. “When we attack, you’ll know it.” 

Henry inclined his head respectfully, an amused smile on his lips.

“As you say.” 

He led them to a nearby fire escape and across roofs, leading them down to the ground and back up again when the roofs were too far apart for humans to manage. Gradually they made their way down the street, across the road, and up another street, heading for the back of the old theatre. Everyone was damp and drippy by now, trying not to slip on the rain-slick surfaces. Twice now Tom had caught Sophie’s arm, preventing a fall. Now they crouched behind a large garbage bin, studying the back entrance to the theatre. Four members of the Order, stood guard, sheltering together under the awning at the door. 

Buffy turned to Shay.

“Can you check the area for any magical surprises?” 

Shay nodded. She closed her eyes, shaking some rainwater from her curls. A moment later she opened them. 

“There are magical wards in the area around the back door. I can dismantle them, if you give me a minute.” She grinned wickedly. “Or, I can activate them and make them recognise the mages as intruders.” 

Buffy grinned back. “I like it. Just make sure it doesn’t set off any alarms.” 

Suddenly the quiet night was assaulted by an explosion, and the team saw flickering lights in the dark sky, in the region of the theatre’s front entrance. A moment later the earth shook. The men guarding the back entrance looked up, startled. 

Shay raised her hand, dark eyes fixed on them. Clouds of yellow oily smoke arose from the ground under the men’s feet, when it cleared, the men were crumpled on the ground, motionless. 

“Done” she said, looking satisfied. 

“Let’s move” Buffy ordered, and they followed her to the back door, pausing as the ground shook again. 

Shay shook her head. “Marion does love a good earthquake” she said fondly. 

Whatever wards may have been on the door were no longer working, and it opened for Buffy with a sharp kick. They rushed into what appeared to be a long hallway, peppered by doors at regular intervals. Two men in robes stood in the hallway halfway down, they turned as the team came in, raising hands and loosing energy bolts. 

Sophie reinforced her shielding of Cassie, and managed to widen it out to cover Caleb, who stood in front of her, staff raised protectively. Tom immediately flung a shower of ice spikes towards the two men. Buffy started running forward with her scythe raised. The energy bolts hit Sophie’s shield and deflected harmlessly onto the floor. Tom’s ice spikes reached the men the same time as Henry did. Henry allowed the spikes to hit the first man, while he quickly broke the neck of the second. The first man shrieked as the spikes sank into his face, falling back into Henry’s hands, who sent him to join his partner on the floor.   

Cassie had barely noticed the skirmish, her eyes were fixed on the first door. 

“This is their room” she said quietly, walking closer to the open door. 

Sophie grabbed her arm.

“Wait- let us check first.” 

Caleb poked his head in, staff at the ready.

“It’s empty.” 

Buffy and Shay stayed in the hallway while the others entered the room. Cassie nodded somberly. 

“This is the room I saw in my vision.” 

It was dingy and empty, but Sophie could see an empty packet of muesli bars and half a loaf of  bread in a corner. A white and pink thing lay in a heap on the floor. Sophie stepped in closer and picked it up, flinching at the wetness, hands trembling as she realised what it was. 

“This...this is Ben’s shirt.” 

Henry was suddenly by her side, nostrils flaring.

“And it stinks of blood- Amy and Ben’s.” 

Tom made a choked off noise. Sophie gripped her dagger harder, activating it with her spirit power almost without thinking. Someone was going to pay for this. 

“Let’s go” Sophie muttered grimly. “If they’re not here, then they’ve started the ceremony.” 

The others nodded, heading back out to Buffy and Shay, who had dispatched a few more mages while they’d been inside. They could hear a lot of noise coming from somewhere. 

“The other rooms are empty” Buffy commented. “All the action’s happening in the main room. We have to get to the stage and stop the ceremony. Shay, can you cover us?” 

Shay nodded. “No problem.” 

As a group they strode down the hallway which forked at the end, each leading to a door. Buffy paused. Tom pointed to the second door. 

“This one” he said decisively. “We just passed old dressing rooms, this one will lead to the stage. The other goes to the main theatre area.” 

Buffy opened it and they entered another hallway, a wall of dusty red curtains blocking their view of the stage. Above them were narrow walkways, leading to old spotlight fixtures. They could hear chanting beyond the curtains. Buffy looked at the others, making sure they were ready, before parting the curtains and entering, stage left.


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amy and Ben are having a crap time.

The afternoon was passing slowly for Amy and Ben. Being locked in an empty room, with nothing to do but wait and think about their imminent death was not on Amy’s list of fun things to do. Ben coped with it even worse than she did. Amy made a mental note to never get stuck in an empty room with him again. She had to draw on years of experience in amusing her friend’s kids back in Australia to stop Ben from driving her insane. 

They sang every song they could think of, played thumb wars, did some fighting practice and recited all the Shakespeare hidden away in their memories (Ben won that one, unsurprisingly). Ben boosted Amy up to look out the window again, but all she could report on was the fact that the sun was setting. Their activities ceased for a time, as new mages showed up to experiment on them. They too were unsuccessful in drawing out their magic. Now Amy and Ben lay stretched out on the dirty carpet, exhausted. 

“What I wouldn’t give for a shower and some clean clothes” Amy murmured tiredly. She felt dirty, sweaty and all round gross. 

“Agreed” Ben sighed. “At least this time they weren’t as...you know.” 

“Sadistic?” Amy suggested dryly. “And how screwed up is that, thinking of them as not sadistic ‘cos they only caused us lots of magic pulling pain, and weren’t interested in seeing us bleed?” 

Ben shuddered. “Unlike Amanda.” 

“Or Stephen” Amy agreed. “They’re both made my ass-kicking list, by the way.” 

“Thoughtful of you, thanks” Ben grinned. 

The doorknob rattled and started to turn. Amy and Ben stood up wearily, putting their backs to the wall. The door opened and Stephen entered with his two minions, arms full of white material. He tossed one each to Amy and Ben. 

“Put these on” he ordered. 

Amy held it up. It was a long white robe. 

“Really?” she drawled. “It’s hardly my style, I’m afraid.” 

Ben looked down at his. “Or my colour.” 

“The Master likes tradition in his ritual” Stephen replied, glaring at them. 

He moved closer to Amy, trapping her against the wall. Ben started to move, but the two minions stepped forward, blocking his path. 

“If you don’t put it on, I will do it myself. And you won’t enjoy that.” 

Amy successfully fought the urge to flinch at his sneering face, and punched it instead. _Maybe not the best idea,_ she thought afterwards. As Stephen stumbled back, she moved away from him, darting past the minions to stand at the doorway to the bathroom. If he came after her, she’d hide in there. 

Stephen stood still for a moment, breathing hard.

“You have five minutes to put them on” he snarled. “I will be back.” He stalked out, the minions following close behind. 

The door slammed shut, and Amy let out a small sigh of relief. 

“You all right?” Ben asked. 

“Sure.” 

Amy picked up the robe, inspecting its long sleeves and longer length. 

“You know, I think we could just wear these over our clothes” Amy said thoughtfully. “They didn’t say we couldn’t, and they won’t know.” 

“Unless they check” Ben pointed out. 

“Ugh, thanks for that.” 

Amy pushed the sleeves of her cardigan up, and slipped the robe on over the top. 

“I’m not going to be stuck in a robe and nothing else when we have to fight. Do what you like, Ben.” 

Ben shrugged, pulling his robe on. “You haven’t had any bad ideas yet.” He grinned. “Though maybe punching Stephen when we don’t have access to our powers and we’re outnumbered isn’t the _best_ way to go. I fully understand the urge however.” 

“Yeah I know” Amy replied sheepishly. “But he just has a face that begs to be punched. Repeatedly.” She smiled dreamily. “Or shot. With a nail gun.” 

The door opened again, and Stephen looked almost disappointed at the sight of them in their robes. 

“Turn and face the wall” he snapped, gesturing the minions forward. 

Amy noticed that he was standing out of range this time. 

Amy sighed. “You know we’re not going to go willingly” she pointed out. 

Ben took up a fighting stance next to her.   

Stephen grinned nastily.

“Then this will hurt” he promised. 

Amy rolled her eyes. “Well yeah, but so does being sacrificed in a weird-ass ritual.” 

She dodged the first punch the man threw and ducked under the second, attempting a foot sweep of the minion in front of her. He jumped over it, kicking into her side and knocking her to the floor. Amy fought to catch her breath against the sudden pain that flared up across her ribs. She saw a flash of white as Ben was knocked back into the wall by the man attacking him. He dodged the second punch and managed to land one of his own into the minion’s nose. The nose streamed blood and Ben wasn’t sure which was hurting more, the man’s nose, or Ben’s knuckles. 

Amy saw the minion’s foot come down and managed to roll to the side just in time. She attempted a kick to his groin, to try and buy her time to get off the ground. He blocked the kick and trapped her ankle with his hands, rolling her onto her stomach and straddling Amy before she could retaliate. His heavier bulk kept her pressed into the carpet, and she felt her wrists being jerked together behind her and tied. There was a thunk, and a gasp from Ben. Amy turned her head to see him pressed into the carpet next to her. A hand twisted into Amy’s hair, and another through her tied wrists, dragging her painfully to her feet. 

Amy felt a flash of fear as she realised that they were about to be hauled off to their deaths, and there seemed to be no last minute rescue in sight. She was jerked around to face Stephen, and as she saw his smugly smiling face, all that fear turned to anger. Amy held it close, letting it warm her. Anger was good. 

“So are you even capable of any magic?” Amy needled, wanting to wipe that grin off his face. “I mean, you have others do your dirty work for you. Is that why Amanda is the superior mage? 

“Amy” Ben said warningly. 

Stephen’s grey eyes hardened, and he advanced towards Amy, hands curling into fists. 

“Your ignorance is astounding” he snarled. 

The man holding Amy moved aside as Stephen pushed her into the wall, his hand pressing against her throat, forcing Amy onto tiptoes. 

“No one else in the Order has my ability to mix magic and technology! I was the one who came up with a device to neutralise your magic, not Amanda!” 

Stephen used his other hand to reach behind Amy and grab hold of her wrists, covering the bracelet. 

“I made this a week ago, and already I’ve come up with a new use for it.” 

He muttered a string of unfamiliar words and suddenly Amy was engulfed in hot bright pain, shooting up her arm from the bracelet and travelling around her body. She couldn’t draw breath to scream, his grip on her throat was too tight. Instead she managed a choked sort of whimper. 

Ben tried to lunge forward but was held back by the minions.

“Leave her alone!” 

Stephen smirked, and released Amy’s throat. She wanted to sink to the floor, but Stephen’s body was still pinning hers to the wall and his hand still gripped her wrist, continuing the pain. Having him pressed so close made her skin crawl. Amy drew in a shuddering breath, looking for a distraction. 

“Why...why summon Akuzaal? He’ll devour everything and everyone. Why would you want that?” 

Stephen moved his hand back from her wrists and the pain lessened, then faded away. 

“Silly girl. He’s not going to devour everyone, only those that oppose him. The Master and I will have important places in the new order.” He smirked. “But you won’t be around to see it, I’m afraid.” 

Stephen finally stepped back, grabbing the back of Amy’s neck. He yanked her forward and spun her around, dodging the kick she tried to send his way. 

“And you are done stalling. Time for the summoning.” 

Amy and Ben were pushed out into the hallway. Amy immediately slumped to the ground and tried to become dead weight. Ben attempted the same, but the man behind him grabbed him around the waist before he made it to the ground. Stephen grabbed Amy’s wrists again and sent more pain shooting up her arm. While Amy was trying to squirm away from Stephen’s grasp, the other man hauled her up into his arms and carried her. They were taken up the hallway and through a door. As they were pushed past the red curtains, the rest of the room was revealed. 

Amy and Ben were on the stage of a theatre. The Master was there, consulting an old book as he supervised Amanda and some other members of the Order. They were drawing designs on the stage floor with red pastels. In the middle of the stage was a large circle, formed with runic symbols, with two smaller circles on either side. Five smaller rune circles were spaced out so they surrounded the rest of the circles. In each small circle was a little carved statue. Each one was carved from a different coloured crystal. Amy recognised them from the descriptions in Caleb’s notes. They were the magical objects they needed to destroy. 

The rest of the theatre was huge. A number of robed figures sat in rows of the old red chairs before them. Ben and Amy were dumped in the two smaller circles. Immediately Amy started to get to her knees. 

“No you don’t” Amanda said sweetly, gesturing. 

Invisible pressure pushed Amy and Ben down on their backs inside the circles, rendering them immobile. Amy strained against them in frustration. 

“Ugh!” 

She couldn’t see Ben from her position, stuck face up staring at the ceiling. The Master ignored them, attention clearly on the ceremony preparations. Amy wished she had thought to check her watch before getting stuck. How close were they to midnight? How long did the team have to launch their rescue attempt? A little fearful voice inside her added _you mean how long do you have to live?_

 _“Piss off”_ Amy thought at herself. 

“You all right Ben?” she called. 

“Fine” came the answer. 

“So, the Order are a bunch of drama queens, yeah?” 

“How do you mean?” 

“Well, they’re holding the ritual on stage, in a theatre. They literally couldn’t be more dramatic.” 

Ben chuckled, though Amy thought it sounded a little strained. 

“Did I ever say that I appreciated your sense of humour?” 

“Nooo no. We are not doing the goodbye talk thing Ben. We’re not going to die.” 

“Aw how sweet” Amanda’s voice cooed, and she came to stand over Amy. “Still holding out hope for your friends?” 

“I’m assuming that’s rhetorical” Amy answered. 

“We’re ready” the Master announced. “To your places.” 

“That would be right here” Amanda grinned, taking a knife out of her robes. “I’m going to bleed you first. Saving the best for last, you know. Don’t want to rush it.” 

Amy heard Ben mutter a suggestion of where he thought Amanda could put her knife. Amanda snickered. 

“Such a dirty mouth. Enjoy it while you can.” 

The Master started chanting in an unfamiliar language. Amy wondered if calling out and interrupting would make any difference. Amanda looked down at her, and read her expression. 

“If you interrupt, I’ll just gag you” Amanda whispered sweetly. 

Amy reconsidered. She kept trying to move, hoping Amanda would get distracted and the spell on her body wouldn’t hold. The Master’s voice droned on. The words he was saying sounded harsh, the promise of violence lurking behind them. The longer Amy listened, the more uneasy she felt. Then Amanda bent over her with the knife, an anticipatory smile on her lips, and uneasy turned to fear. 

Suddenly the noise of an explosion rent the air, and the ground shook. The Master’s words ceased. Amanda straightened and looked around. Amy’s heart filled with hope. 

“Go take care of that” he snapped, and some mages left the stage. 

“You’re in trouble now” Amy said, smiling smugly. “Sounds like Cassie came through with the vision.” 

“They cut it a bit close” Ben said, voice shaking a little. 

Another loud noise, and suddenly the theatre was filled with hisses, screams, thunks and various other noises. Amy was so frustrated at not being able to see. 

“Continue!” the Master ordered, and began chanting again, quicker this time. 

Amanda leant down, the bindings lifted Amy’s body a little, and she drew a sharp line down Amy’s arm with the knife. 

“Don’t!” Amy pleaded, wincing. 

“Leave her alone!” Ben snapped. 

Amanda just grinned, and continued cutting another long line down Amy’s other arm. Settling her back down on the floor, Amanda turned her attention to the rest of Amy’s body. Two lines down each of Amy’s legs. A burning slash across her stomach. The knife was so sharp that with the intial cut Amy felt nothing. Then the pain kicked in. Amy let out a gasping scream. She could feel steady trickles of blood running down her limbs onto the floor. She was starting to feel woozy, her vision blurring. The stage floor began to hum. Amanda took the binding spell off Amy, but she was too weak to take advantage of it. She just lay there in her ever-widening puddle of blood. 

“There you are. Lots of nice blood for Akuzaal. Time for the second one.” Amanda said, standing up and moving out of Amy’s line of sight. 

Ben tensed as Amanda leaned down, and struggled helplessly against his invisible bonds. It couldn’t end like this, they were so close to rescue. Amy was quiet now, and his stomach dropped at the unusual silence. Amanda traced her knife across his chest, releasing trickles of blood that bloomed through his clothes, across the white robe. She slashed down his long legs, and his arms, still tied behind his back. Ben whimpered with pain, and Amanda laughed softly. He had no energy for a comeback, he was struggling to stay conscious. The floor underneath him felt wet. 

Amy could hear Ben whimper, and Amanda’s low laugh. She was feeling detached from her body. The floor hummed, the Master was still chanting, and everything went black.


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The summoning is upon us. Will the team pull together? Can Sophie save Amy and Ben?

As Sophie pushed past the curtains, dagger in hand, she froze as her senses were assailed. There was chaos in the audience section as the witches battled the Order mages. Magic flew through the air, there were cracks and bangs and flashes of light. All this she took in with a brief glance as she was immediately drawn to the bloody scene on the stage. All time seemed to slow, as a wave of shock and grief swept through her. Dimly she took in the humming of the stage floor beneath her feet, the steady chanting of the Master, the anguished gasp of Tom, a snarl from Henry and murmured expletives of Caleb behind her. 

All of her attention focused on Amanda, standing over Ben’s still body, a knife in her hand and blood on her robes. Amy lay still in a pool of blood on the other side of the stage. Sophie’s shock rapidly cycled into protective rage and she snarled at Amanda. 

“Get the FUCK away from him!” 

Buffy took a quick assessment of the stage, and glanced at Sophie.

“Sophie?” 

“I’ve got this” Sophie said grimly. 

She started running across the stage, dagger in hand. 

“Caleb and Shay. Cover fire” Buffy snapped out, launching herself at the closest mage. 

Tom ran after Sophie, Henry flashing ahead of them. Cassie stayed where she was, readying a barrier spell to protect Sophie while she worked. The Master continued to chant, keeping up a personal shield that repelled anything Caleb and Shay threw his way. Amanda had time to smirk before Henry knocked her down, his hand at her throat. The mage stabbed him in the side with her knife and Henry ignored it, squeezing her throat with one hand while knocking the knife to the floor with the other. 

Sophie reached Ben’s side and sank to her knees, ignoring the blood that seeped through her jeans. Adrenalin rushed through her veins, and her mind raced. 

“Don’t kill her yet Henry, just stop her from using her magic” Sophie said, her voice dangerously calm. 

Pushing any panic to the back of her mind, she looked over to where Tom was kneeling beside Amy, trying fruitlessly to apply pressure to her many wounds. 

“Tom! Bring her here!” 

Gently Tom scooped Amy up into his arms and carried her over to Sophie, giving the Master a cautious glance as he went past. He laid her down gently, giving a surreptitious rub at his now tear streaked face. 

“I’ve got your back” he said quietly, standing and summoning his sword. 

Henry was still struggling not to snap Amanda’s neck. He dearly wanted to, he could smell Amy and Ben’s blood all over her. Instead he kept a steady pressure on her throat, forcing her to struggle for air and distract her from doing any spells. He didn’t know why he couldn’t kill her yet, but he trusted Sophie. Whatever she had planned, she needed to hurry. Henry could sense that the end of the summoning was close. He glanced at the Master, who was still chanting and maintaining his shield. Shay, Buffy and Caleb were holding their own amongst the mages on the stage. Cassie was now making her way over to Sophie and the others. 

Sophie quickly cut the ropes binding Amy and Ben’s wrists, revealing the metal cuffs on their wrists. Her hands were all but incandescent now, needing to heal. She knew jumping in would most likely kill her, so she took a deep breath and concentrated. Her magical sight showed Amy and Ben’s bodies, their auras dim and flickering. Their energy had almost left their bodies. The metal cuffs showed up as black, emitting a black and green pulse of energy that encircled their auras. Sophie placed a hand on Amy’s wrist, pushing a pulse of her healing energy into the wound, and was repelled. Gasping, she broke her trance and looked up to see Cassie kneeling beside her. 

“The cuffs, they’re blocking my magic. And theirs. I can’t heal!” 

“So that’s how they were taken” Cassie murmured, her eyes unfocusing as she studied the cuff. “Ah. Tech and magic mix.” 

She raised her head and called for Shay, who came bounding over, having just dispatched her assailant. 

“Yeah?” she looked down at Amy and Ben. “Shit. That looks bad.” 

Cassie raised Amy’s wrist, displaying the cuff. “We need these off now!” 

“No prob” Shay said confidently, bending down and grasping the cuff. “Ooh this is nasty. Clever though.” 

“Shay is a techmage” Cassie murmured to Sophie. “She’ll be able to help.” 

Shay’s gaze narrowed and she hissed in a breath. Blue electricity shot from her fingers into the bracelet. After a moment, it gave a click and opened. Shay dropped it and picked up Ben’s wrist. Sophie laid her hands on Amy and sighed with relief as her healing magic now flowed unimpeded. She quickly sealed Amy’s wounds, then did the same to Ben as Shay removed the cuff. They were stable, now for the tricky bit. 

“Henry, bring Amanda here.” 

Henry dragged the mage over within arm’s reach of Sophie, his hand still on her throat. Sophie coolly plunged her dagger into the woman’s stomach. Amanda gave a shriek of pain, and Sophie smiled coldly. 

“See how you like it.” 

Cassie looked at her, horrified. Henry and Shay looked impressed. Tom glanced back at the scream, saw what she was doing, and looked grimly pleased. Sophie could see Amanda’s life force, linked to her dagger. Carefully she spun the glowing line into two strands, one leading into Amy, one leading into Ben. She needed to replace the blood and life they had lost, and she thought it fitting that their murderer would provide it. Acting as the conduit, she funneled Amanda’s life through her into Ben and Amy. It felt wrong and unpleasant, but Sophie didn’t care. She fought to get the energy into their bodies. 

Amanda was now screaming, which came out rather muffled as Henry was still choking her. Gradually her skin began to wrinkle, then shrink. Her skin turned grey, her fingers crumpled and started breaking off, crumbling to ashes. Her long dark hair turned grey, then white, her face became sunken and withered. Henry let go of her, wiping his hand on his leg in distaste. The anguished screams faded away as the body that was Amanda slowly became ashes. 

Sophie could see the energy flashing around Ben and Amy’s bodies. Their auras were back to normal, glowing aqua blue and vivid purple. They began to stir, and Sophie didn’t know who to look at first. Tom glanced behind him again, and broke into a relieved grin, dropping to his knees beside Amy. Shay smiled, and looked around at the stage, where Buffy and Caleb were finishing off the last mage. Only the Master was left. 

“I’ll go get the others” she said, jumping up, absentmindedly brushing aside a lightning bolt that had flown off course from the audience area, where the mages and witches continued to fight. 

Henry knelt and touched Amy and Ben, brushing his fingers across their necks, as if making sure they still had a pulse. He looked up at Sophie, smiling warmly. 

“Thank you for saving them.” 

Amy was the first to sit up, rubbing her eyes. Tom flung his arms around her.

“Hey good to see you too” Amy said tiredly, returning the hug. She smiled at Sophie over Tom’s shoulder. 

Ben groaned, sitting up. “I thought we were...I’m glad you made it here in time.”   

Sophie hugged him, and he folded his arms around her carefully. 

“We nearly didn’t” she whispered into his chest. 

“Where’s..where’s Amanda?” Ben asked. 

Henry pointed at the pile of ashes on the floor. Ben’s eyes widened in surprise. 

“Oh!” 

“How?” Amy asked. 

Henry pointed at Sophie, a hint of a smile on his lips. 

“Whoa way to go!” Amy grinned. 

Ben looked impressed, and a little bit scared.

“Remind me not to ever cross you” he joked. 

Sophie didn’t feel so glib, not after seeing him covered in blood and close to death. 

“No one hurts the people I care about” she said intently. 

Caleb, Buffy and Shae rejoined the group as they all got to their feet. Amy and Ben pulled their robes off, grimacing with distaste at all the dried blood. Caleb gave Amy and Ben a quick hug. The Master suddenly stopped chanting. The ground shuddered, and the crystal statues started to glow. The large runic circle in the middle of the stage turned black, the floor quivering and turning soft. 

“No no no!” Cassie cried. “It’s starting, Akuzaal has been called!” 

The Master smiled. It looked strange on his colourless face.

“You’re too late” he intoned. 

“The hell we are” Amy muttered, flicking out her hand, and the book the Master was holding burst into flames. 

Startled, he dropped it, but the second fireball aimed at him fizzled out against his shield. Amy swayed a little on her feet, and Tom disappeared his sword, sliding an arm around her waist and summoning ice to his hand with the other. 

“Take it easy darling, you’re still recovering” he said gently. 

“Sophie you can make shields, can you mess with his?” Amy gritted, whilst aiming another barrage. 

Sophie narrowed her eyes. “I will try.” 

Concentrating, she slid into her magical sight and focused on the Master. A moment later, she felt Caleb slip his hand into hers. 

“Let me help” he suggested, and wove his power in with hers, bringing the Master’s aura into sharper focus. 

Sophie could see it well now, a pulsating grey barrier, covering his body. She looked closer, following its line...ah, there was something. The shield had two weak points beneath the soles of his feet. 

“See it?” Sophie murmured to Caleb. 

Caleb was silent for a moment.

“Ah! Yeah.” 

Ben wove his hand through Sophie’s and said softly ”Anything I can do?” 

The Master threw a black glowing mass towards Amy, Tom deflected it with a shield of ice. Cassie was moving towards the glowing statues, looking worried. Buffy and Henry were circling the Master, trying to attack, but they kept bouncing off his shield. 

“Can you add your power to mine?” Sophie asked of Ben. “Try and mesh it in with me and Caleb?” 

“I’ll try” Ben said. 

Closing his eyes, he summoned his power. He could feel it like a warm breath upon his skin, and he took a moment to bask in the comfort of having it back at his command. Squeezing Sophie’s hand, he imagined his power flowing away from his skin onto hers, travelling up her arm to the core of her. After a moment Ben could feel an answering warmth from Sophie, and a cool pressure against his hand. He imagined his power curling around hers and Caleb’s, ready to be used as she saw fit, and opened his eyes. Suddenly he could see a white aura around Sophie, with pink and green colours swirling around inside it. The faint hint of a melody met his ears. 

Sophie could see the pink and green swirling around her and she felt touched at the boys’ trust in her. Letting the power build up around her, she drew it together, and blasted it into the weak spots under the Master’s feet. She felt Caleb and Ben concentrating on the same spot, intensifying the magic flowing from them. The Master staggered, and Sophie saw his shield weaken and fragment before falling to pieces. Seeing the Master falter, Amy threw a fireball at his face. He flinched back, dodging the missile instead of letting it hit his shield and she knew that he was vulnerable. Henry darted forward and punched the Master in the face, fist meeting nose with a satisfying crunching sound. As the Master reeled backwards, his nose streaming blood, Henry grabbed him by the shoulders and using his fangs, tore out his throat. The Master’s body fell lifeless to the ground. 

“Quick!” Cassie yelled. “Get over here or we’ll be too late!” She tossed a knife to Henry, who caught it and sighed. 

“Same as last time?” he asked. 

Cassie nodded, gesturing to the others. 

“All of you, go stand next to the statue of your magic element.” 

Amy looked and saw one of the statues glowing red. She moved to it, and saw the others following suit. Henry pulled up his sleeve, used the knife to slash his forearm, and slowly walked around the perimeter of the circle, making sure his blood dripped on each glowing statue. The knife he was using gleamed black, and Amy saw that the slash he made wasn’t healing instantly like usual. 

“What do I do?” Buffy asked. 

“Have your scythe ready, and when I say so, smash each statue!” Cassie yelled, making her voice heard over the sudden howling noise coming from the portal they were standing around. 

It was a chilling sound, making Amy shudder as the hairs on the back of her neck prickled. Cassie started reciting a long string of words, gesturing at intervals. The howling noise grew louder, and a wind sprang up, grabbing at hair, pushing at the others, but they all held firm by their statues. Henry dripped on the last statue, and Cassie paused in her recitation. 

“All of you, concentrate your magic into your statue!” 

They did as she bid, Amy and Ben pushing stubbornly past their fatigue, wobbling a little on their feet. Henry moved closer to Amy and put his hands at her waist, steadying her. Amy smiled a distracted thank you as she continued pouring her fire into the statue. Its glowing was becoming incandescent. Cassie’s chanting became louder, her fingertips and hair were shooting out sparks. Suddenly, a giant clawed hand started rising out of the portal. Its skin was marked with strange colours and patterns, all of which moved and slid together, making the watcher feel ill. 

“Don’t look at it!” Cassie ordered. “Buffy, now!” 

Buffy darted to the first statue by Sophie and raised her scythe, bringing it smashing down on its head. It broke into a pile of crystal shards, the glow disappearing. Buffy continued around the circle, smashing each statue. As the last one fell over in a shower of shards, the wind stopped, and the giant hand disappeared into what was now just a solid stage floor. Ben collapsed to the floor, Amy began to follow suit but was caught by Henry and gently lowered. They were completely drained of magic and energy. Buffy glanced over to the audience section, seeing Shay and the other witches finishing off the last of the mages, and the various nasty things the mages had summoned. 

“Sophie, we have wounded” Buffy commented, looking at some of the fallen witches. “Are you up to it?” 

Sophie sighed, drawing a tired hand across her brow. Taking a quick internal check, she frowned. 

“Maybe. I don’t have a lot of energy left.” 

Cassie walked wearily over to Sophie, laid her hands on her forehead, and Sophie suddenly felt warm, golden energy seeping into her limbs and taking some of the weariness away. 

“Here, that should help.” 

Henry moved and was suddenly there as Cassie sagged, helping her to the floor too. Tom made his way over to Amy after checking on Ben, who waved a tired hand. 

“I’m fine. Just knackered.” 

“I’ll do a quick patrol and make sure there no one waiting to surprise us outside” Buffy said, leaping down from the stage, while Sophie followed at a more sedate pace, heading for the fallen witches. 

Caleb wandered over to Henry, and gave him a nudge.

“Dude, sit down before you fall down.” 

Henry grinned.

“As you wish.” 

He lowered himself gracefully to the ground, wincing a little from the wound at his side, and Caleb settled next to him with a thump. 

“Show me your arm” he ordered, dark eyebrows drawn together in a frown. 

Henry displayed his forearm, which was still dripping blood. 

“Why isn’t it healing?” 

Henry shrugged. “It will, in time. The magical blade I used was made to keep my blood flowing for the ritual.” 

“Is there a way to speed it up? Losing blood can’t be good for vampires, right?” 

Henry looked amused. “A donation would do the trick. Are you offering?” 

Caleb flushed. “If it will help, yeah.” 

“It will. Thank you Caleb” Henry spoke gently, no trace of mockery in his tone. 

He reached out, moving human-slow, and encircled Caleb’s wrist with his strong fingers. Blue eyes bled to black and met the gaze of Caleb’s dark ones, looking for permission before bringing it slowly to his lips. The sudden sting as Henry pierced his skin didn’t shock Caleb any more, it was becoming familiar. He wasn’t sure whether this was a good thing, but thinking took a backseat as a wave of pleasure washed through him, rushing to his head and making him dizzy. All he could feel was the press of lips against his skin and the movement of his tongue as Henry fed. Sitting up was starting to feel like a struggle, and as Caleb swayed, Henry slipped his other arm around the boy’s waist and pulled him closer, bracing him against his side. Caleb closed his eyes and lost himself to sensation. All too quickly, he felt Henry withdraw, giving his wrist a parting lick. 

“All better” Henry murmured. 

“Mmm good” Caleb mumbled, still pressed against Henry’s side, but neither chose to move. 

Amy lay sprawled on the floor, feeling tired enough that the floor felt comfortable. Unlike earlier in the day, she was free to leave where she was whenever she wanted, a fact that she found comforting, and slightly strange. Tom flopped down beside her, running a concerned hand across her forehead. 

“Are you all right?” 

“Yeah I’m good. Just tired. Are you okay?” 

Tom nodded, curls bouncing.

“Fine! Nothing to worry about. Are you sure...” he trailed off, looking at her torn and bloodstained clothes.

Amy lifted the base of her shirt, pressing her fingers along her stomach. 

“Ow! Guess the bruises are still there. Makes sense, Sophie prioritised the life-threatening injuries.” 

Tom’s gaze darkened as he saw the bruises and cuts on her stomach.

“Who did this to you? The Master?” 

Amy shook her head.

“No it was Stephen...hey!” She sat up, wincing a little. “Where is he? Did you get him?” 

Tom slowly shook his head.

“No, he was on the stage when we arrived, but...I didn’t see him later on.” 

Henry, overhearing their conversation, spoke up. Amy noted Caleb looking all sleepy and cosy under Henry’s arm and smiled at him smugly. 

“He crept off the stage, managed to dodge the other witches and escaped out the front doors. I was unable to pursue, as I was holding Amanda.” 

“Crap!” Amy looked worried. 

“That’s not good” Ben spoke, from his vantage point on the floor. “Stephen is the kind of guy to hold a grudge. He’s got to be pretty pissed at us right now.” 

“There’s nothing we can do right now” Cassie replied. She was sitting on the floor, legs crossed neatly under her. “Do you realise that we’ve won? My vision of the future didn’t come to pass, and I can’t tell you how happy I am about that. Thank you all for risking your lives and saving the world.” 

“Saving the world- aren’t we awesome?” Amy grinned, but her eyes held shadows of worry. 

Tom sat behind her and wrapped his arms around her, laying a kiss on the top of her blue, blood streaked head. 

“I am so glad you’re all right” he murmured in Amy’s hair, and Amy smiled. 

They all sat in silence for a while, just enjoying being in each other’s company. Sophie made her way back to the stage and flopped down next to Ben. 

“I’ve healed what I can. Only one was too far gone.” 

Her face was pale and her hands trembled. Ben noticed and sat up, wrapping his arms gently around Sophie. 

“You’ve done all you can, which is more than enough. Have a rest, sweetheart.”

Sophie sighed wearily, leaning back against Ben.

“I can’t even think anymore. Too tired.” 

“Hey guys” Shay said, approaching them. “We’ve organised for the cleaners to come take care of this, and we have a car waiting to take you all home. We can take it from here, you go home and rest- you’ve all earnt it.” She smiled at them. “Seriously, thank you. And if you need us, give us a call. I’d work with you all again.” 

“I didn’t realise we were being rated” Amy murmured sleepily. “Good to know. So is this an online review? Are there seers going online to check out our services? Hey we should print up flyers or something if this is going to be a regular thing...demon-hunters are us...nah not original enough...” 

“I think Amy’s reached her level of delirious tired” Sophie said, wobbling to her feet, with Ben’s help. Going home sounds good.” 

The group made their stumbling way off the stage and outside to where a car waited. They made it to HQ with no mishaps, and wasted no time in showering and hitting the beds. The house was quiet as all the humans slept. Henry lingered in the library, unwilling to leave them until he had to. He wished that sleep would cure all their ills, but he knew that such an experience would leave its mark upon them. Henry envied their ability to sleep, and put off consequences for a while longer. He wandered the library, tidying things up and putting books back on their shelves, taking comfort in their familiar smell. Maybe they would have no need for him after this. Would Cassie take the magic back now that they accomplished what they had set out to do? Henry sighed. Thinking about not seeing these mortals on a regular basis actually hurt. How did he keep finding people to care about? It wasn’t practical, or wise. Pushing images of a certain human firmly to the back of his mind, he took his leave of the house, trying to find comfort in the resilience of his new friends. They would recover from this, and he would help them.    

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well my dear readers, this is the end! Did you enjoy the ride? Please leave some kudos or a comment, if so- I'd love to hear from you. This may not be the end for our team, I have some ideas for some short stories focusing on one or two of the characters at a time. But this is the end for now.


End file.
